John Locke Childhood Essay

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Recommended: Introduction to the contributions of John Locke to education

In this essay I will be discussing my concept of childhood and how it compares to my understanding of the theories and concepts of John Locke and John Wesley. I have chosen to look at these two theorists as although they lived in similar times their theories and concepts on children were influenced by very different factors and so differ greatly from each other and in most respects differ from my own concepts. My concept of childhood is influenced by personal experience and the views of my parent. I believe my concept of childhood was, in large part, formed by the way I was raised. My older sister and I were raised by a single mother in a small town in country Victoria. My mother is a socialist and feminist and I think that these beliefs informed her decisions on how to treat her children, choosing to treat us as capable individuals and allowing us to make, or at least have input into making, decisions about our bodies, our activities outside of school, and our lives in general. When reflecting on how I see children and childhood, I believe that my view of children as capable, confident, and independent, and my belief that childhood should be fun and free is due to the environment I grew up in. Wesley and Locke are both products of their time and their thinking represents this. Wesley’s notions were heavily influenced by his mother (Cleverly & Phillips 1986 p.29) and his theories on how to raise children appear to stem from a belief that children are born with natural diseases which led to them loving themselves more than God (Christian Classics Ethereal Library 2014) and that parents and educators need to work with God in saving their souls (Wesley Centre Online 2011). Locke was a physician and philosopher in the seve... ... middle of paper ... ...eir senses by playing with ‘pretty playthings’ and ‘glittery toys’ (Cleverly & Phillips 1986 p.29) as this would encourage their love of the world and imagination. Locke (1889 p.88) suggests that children should be encouraged to play, and that through play, they can be taught. Wesley (Cleverly & Phillips1986 p.30) believed that children should not be allowed to play at any time as children who played grew into adults who played. Locke (Cleverly & Phillips 1986 p.26) believed that our understanding of the world is based on our experiences and that our reflection and understanding of those experiences shape us. I think that part of childhood is learning through experiences and exploring through play and that when you are able to reflect back on these, learn from them and use them to make rational and logical decisions, childhood is beginning to come to an end.

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