The Education of Karl Witte: Or, The Training of the Child

The cover of The Education of Karl Witte: Or, The Training of the Child [amazon.com]

Written by German pastor Karl Heinrich Gottfried Witte, the book shows that talent doesn't have a big influence on personal development, but fairly intense early childhood education can bring lifelong benefits to a child. As long as the child has normal intelligence, he or she can become a well-rounded person.

About 100 years ago, this pastor who lived in a small German village bravely challenged the traditional idea that children shouldn't start regular education until reaching school age.

He advocated early childhood education at the beginning of mental development and achieved huge success in his attempt to educate his son Karl.

When he was 9, Karl could speak several languages, including French and Italian, and started reading classic works, including the Homeric Hymns, Plutarch and Cicero. He graduated from university in his teens with advanced degrees in philosophy and law.

He later taught at Humboldt University of Berlin and at the age of 23 became a professor at the University of Halle. The famous scholar of Dante Alighieri was engaged in teaching and writing, and lived healthily until his 80s.

Gratifyingly, the father kept a record of how he educated his son and completed a case memoir of early childhood education, consisting of more than 1,000 pages. The book has become popular in China and has received praise, including from famous education specialist Tao Xingzhi (1891-1946).

(Source: jd.com/Translated and edited by womenofchina.cn)