Ok I thought a lot about the teachings of Master Tzen on children’s education and I’ve concluded that I do not have - all - the answers nor control over the variables that can influence the future of children (note that the terrible brazilian education I’ve received at 1980’s have conditioned me to always seek for an answer ... or rather, the only acceptable answer ... and such mental configuration I want to avoid in my children... as long as for me, there is no hope: I'm destined to continue looking templates ...). Anyway, the only right answer I’ve found in my search for a good school for my pre-literate kid was this: I'm not a cartoon-mother (those who never lose patience - never, ever! - And always have a few well-chosen words to say, no matter what is happening)! Duh!
In fact, nowadays I know that not even my own mother is – or was - a cartoon-mother (detail: she does not conform with the name and appearance of this blog, which, lucky for me, made her back off from reading it: "Pale? Why pale? And what about this Black screen? How morbid!" Well, she happens to know me).
More: my mother would not know being a cartoon-mother because her mother is not one of these fictional figures created just to confuse kids (who must think, when watching them on tv: "My mother is not like this..." ) and to set an example for us real fallible people... I, my mother, my grandmother ... In spite of so many mistakes that we’ve made here and there, we are not better or worse mothers... Each one of us is just reflections of how our generations had faced its responsibilities as parents ... And how we, imperfect, are more interesting worlds than the predictable cartoon-mommies.

Thus, when it comes to my kid’s school choice for next year, I’ve decided for the art-education method, in which children learn on a constructivist method (learning theory), but from artistic references.

Consulted, Master Tzen said he was too old to be amused by this sort of things and, therefore, he thinks that art-education methods (in addition to chat about the constructivist method) only exists in order to entertain parents. He does not believe that the presentation of pieces of art (like Mozart, Pixinguinha, Noel Rosa, Picasso, Portinari, etc.) for children have more positives impacts on their education than the one resulting from mangue-beat or the image of Pucca or Cocóricó. In fact, he believes that this kind of education through art has, exclusively, only an almanac-culture effect on children, and even that it could be detrimental for them due to the fact that it would impose to them an ancient aesthetic sense, by using ancient languages (he asked : why old paintings and no photos?)...

I disagree with him at this point (although I agree that the idea may seem appealing) because I think that through art-education, children may have the opportunity to establish a different point of view about world surrounding them, after all, Pucca is already part of their lives. At least, that art education may prevent them from complying with our culture of 'puxadinhos' (a sort of small parts of a house, like a bedroom or a bathroom, made a few months after the main construction). That's what I hope. And I think that a cartoon-mommy would agree with me.

But, to end the conversation, Master Tzen said that the solution for my education issue was quite simple: if the school had great teachers (whatever was the method adopted), children would, for sure, access a highly level education; on the other hand, if the teachers were mediocre, there would be no educational theory able to save those students from intellectual poverty.

A cartoon-mom would certainly agree with him, right there from Canada.