By your pupils you'll be taught

By Roshan Peiris

She is a tiny woman, four feet something in height, but she has the distinction of making educational history by being the first teacher to start the Dr. Maria Montessori method of teaching, in this country.

For fifty five long years Selina Joyce Goonesekera has taught generations of children in her Monetssori School at Charles Place and at Galle, her home town, where fifty years ago she began this country's first Montessori School.

Her reminiscences at eighty seven years of age are many and moving. She lost her mother while yet a child , and coped well looking after her step sister and brothers.

Her father died after she sat the senior and so she went to teach at Alethea College under Ms. A. E. Preston.

Soon after that she left for Madras to learn at the feet of the Italian born Dr. Maria Montessori at Kodaikanal. "We ate vegetarian food," and lived in mud huts with thatched roofs. We ate off Plantain leaves," she recalls.

To generations of boys and girls "Aunty Joyce" still remains a much loved figure. They recall with much love her warm presence and the memory of her driving a Baby Austin. Among her pupils were Suren Wickremesinghe, K.N. Choksy, Maya Senanayake the daughter of educationist P. de S. Kularatane, Chitra Malalasekera, to mention a few.

One wonders what made her take to the arduous task of teaching children from two to five years old when they are at their liveliest. She answered almost in a whisper "I love children dearly, having brought up my step sister and brothers.

"I am not married but I have a son now working at David Pieris as an engineer who was brought to me and I considered him a gift from heaven. He is today my life as are his wife Nuala and child.

"I started teaching in 1941. I have learnt from my children.

She often spoke of how much she had imbibed working with slum children in Italy

"The adult learns from the child that is the principle behind the Montessori method of teaching. One must never suppress a child but allow the child's natural qualities to develop. First a child learns self reliance- to look after itself- from washing hands to wearing shoes . A child must never be forced to work, you just show them and they follow."

Aunty Joyce has taught her numerous 'nieces' and 'nephews' how to adjust themselves in an adult world .Today in the evening of her life Aunty Joyce looks back with satisfaction at the number of teachers trained at the St. Bridgets Training Centre begun by her. Children in the future will learn of her and her name will always be perpetuated with love and respect.

"I love children and have often kept many a child for long periods in my home when he or she lacked care and love. I am a Buddhist but I observe and respect all religions, Maria Montessori was a Catholic yet she taught Lena Wickremaratne and myself of different faiths," said Joyce.

Today the little children around her have been taught how best to greet and meet people, and how to respect the environment around them.

Her school is a colourful place with stylised rabbits, bears and other animals on the walls.

These little ones begin their long school life by first learning at the Montessori to read and write and make their first acquaintance with the world of letters.

They also develop their sensorial talents being sensitive to touch.

At 87 years after so much living done for young children and preparing them for a school career she says softly, "I don't want any rewards and will never ask for any. Suffice that I have worked for the children. What more can I ask for?"

Most of us have known her over decades and we pay our humble obeisance to a great lady in the evening of her life so full of achievement, yet so lacking in pride. She is a fine example for the young generations of men and women to follow. She has taught by example and precept how best to achieve much with humility.

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