Education and Ecstasy

by George Leonard

Education and Ecstasy, by George Leonard, was originally written as a call for reform in America's school systems. Published in the Sixties, and then revised in the Eighties, this book reveals the deep-rooted structural problems in American schools-problems which still plague us. Leonard proposes that long school days and tedious homework are not ways to encourage learning; that teachers are overworked and underpaid. He proposes ways to integrate new methods of teaching that are still valuable and applicable today.

Genres: Education, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1969

About the author

George Burr Leonard (b. 1923) was an American writer, editor, and educator who wrote extensively about education and human potential. He was President Emeritus of the Esalen Institute, past-president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology, President of ITP International, and a former editor of Look Magazine. He was also a former United States Army Air Corps pilot, and held a fifth degree black belt in aikido.


Leonard was a co-founder of the Aikido of Tamalpais dojo in Corte Madera, California. He also developed the Leonard Energy Training (LET) practice for centering the mind, body, and spirit. Leonard died at his home in Mill Valley, California on January 6, 2010 after a long illness. He was 86 years old.

Reviews

[Laura Rose]

Written in the 1960s, this book is an amazing discussion of the human potential and what the education system could be like by the year 2000. It's incredibly depressing in that education has actually gone further in the opposite direction it should.

[Jack B]

I read the original 1960s version: pretty cool. I'd like to see the revised version.

[Paul Reynolds]

George Leonard's Education and Ecstasy was published nearly 40 years ago, but is as relevant today as ever. The day that "learning & joy" are synonymous in students' minds, then we can retire this book. Until then, this classic work stands as a touchstone for the quest to ignite a LOVE of learning in students - and their teachers.

[Christina Frith]

This would be worthy of rereading! Perhaps all teachers, head masters, and parents should pick this one up again. I remember it being revelatory, but it's been so long~