By Sr. Teresa Joseph fma –
Author: Carlo De Ambrogio
Translator: Ian Doulton sdb
Publisher: Kristu Jyoti Publications
Year:2023
Pages: 222
ISBN:978-93-93227-23-2
Price: Rs. 300/-
Today, more than ever there is an intentional soul searching among parents and teachers. This emerges eloquently in one way or another during every orientation Program/Seminars for educators and parents. The questions our young people are called to address, their lived experience and the complexity of life in its manifold expressions, and all this and much more makes us to be always on the lookout for more light to illumine our path.
I was truly fascinated to glance through the pages of Teach as He Taught Educating Like Don Bosco. This book was gifted to me by Ian Doulton, the translator of the book. In an interview with him on 3rd March 2024, he highly recommended this book for parents, teachers and anyone who is interested in accompanying young people today.
On O3 March, the Lenten Recollection for Catechists of the Pune Diocese was held at Don Bosco Youth Centre, Koregaon Park, Pune. Rt. Rev Bishop John Rodrigues, Bishop of Pune gave two talks on Reconciliation and the Jubilee Year. This was followed by the release of the book: Teach as He Taught Educating Like Don Bosco, by Carlo De Ambrogio and translated by Ian Doulto SDB. Fr. Savio Silveira, SDB Provincial inb released the book and the first copy was offered to Bishop John, the second to Fr. Valerian Pereira sdb – resource person and the third to Fr. Dinesh Vasava sdb-director of Salelsian/Diocesan Catechetical Centre, Pune.
What treasures can one find within the pages of this prized book? A wealth of lived experience of Don Bosco’s typical style of accompanying the young: “Teach as He Taught is a treasure trove for those parents and educators who struggle with everyday encounters with the youngsters in their care. Don Bosco-the Father and Teacher of Youth wisely handled their issues using his unique style and system of education: The Preventive System.”
Those of us who are acquainted with finding books packed with principles and theories will be stunned to see in Teach as He Taught “a handbook of incidents and deductions, revealing the priceless treasure of the Preventive System.” Fired with his maxim: Give me souls take away the rest, Don Bosco was almost always with his boys, hence the Preventive System of Education is the fruit of his lived experience with the young, guiding and accompanying them to become “Good Christians and Honest Citizens.”
A word on the author of this book and the translator will certainly lead us to the heart of this book. Fr. Carlo De Ambrogio, who passed away in 1979 at the age of 58 obviously felt the pulse of young people and extracted among various incidents from many sources to “reveal how he and several others have very efficaciously and effectively incarnated the Preventive System among the youth of our day.”
Ian Doulton sdb is a passionate mentor of the young who is ever alert to illumine the minds and hearts of educators and adults on how to scaffold the youth of today. With his vast experience as rector of Salesian Communities, his seminars on ‘Understanding the Teenage Brain’ is a stupendous one that takes into consideration: an interview (Health Bridge) on the Teenage Brain, the reality of Adolescence, Adolescent characteristics, Dealing with Disappointments and Teenagers of the XXI Century. These sessions sway between the Adolescent/Teenager and the caregiver or the Teacher.
A well-known student councilor with long standing experience, He is much sought after for his skills of counselling and spiritual direction. He is also called to give sessions on management by corporate bodies. He is an ace pianist and choir master. He is the Editor of Don Bosco’s Madonna (the largest circulating Catholic monthly periodical in India with an international circulation of around 95,000 copies). His newest “adventure” is a diploma course for lay Salesian collaborators, the first ever course of its kind, offered to collaborators holding leadership positions in the institutions of the Salesian Province of Bombay. At the moment, besides his hectic schedule, he has his hands in the diploma course for the second batch of lay Salesian Collaborators.
With apt information on the author and the translator, we can confidently navigate inside the book. The foreword by Biju Michael sdb, General Councillor for South Asia Region, situates the reader in the right context of the why and what of this book and how Don Bosco, the Father and Teacher of Youth wisely handled the issues of the young using his unique style and system of education: the Preventive System.
Don Bosco was able to draw out of his boys the very best. Do you want to know Don Bosco’s secret? Take a look into pages 11 and 12 of the book and it will surprise you to get to know what Card. Giovanni Montini now St. Paul VI told the students of the Salesian Institute of St. Ambrose at Milan on 31st January 1961. The five parts of this book are weaved together so marvelously that it will soon inform you that Education, not a problem to be solved but an act of love (Part 1). Above all else (Part 2) deals with education to joy and the various themes on which we need to educate our youngster. Because the World isn’t a lonely planet (Part III) explores how to handle rebellion and how to teach the young humility, gratitude etc. The laws of work and progress (Part IV) opens up new horizons before us based truly on how to teach the young a spirit of sacrifice, cultivating good habits and what happens when youngsters start working. Finally, The Lanzo Dream: An Educative Reality (part V) takes you to the heart of the dream and far beyond…
Hurry up! parents, teachers, friends and well-wishers, to learn the art of scaffolding the young of today in the company of Don Bosco, Father, Friend and Teacher of the Young.
For copies contact: Kristu Jyoti Publications, Bangalore, Phone: (0) 9481201282.