Life as a teacher is a healthy exercise for the right brain. You get paid for weaving and telling stories. So, I will do what I do every day in my classroom, tell you two stories I have learnt a great deal from. One is a children’s fiction, the other a biographical recollection.
The first story …. A very very hungry caterpillar
One Sunday morning a caterpillar came out of an egg. It was very hungry. He started to look for some food.
On Monday, he ate through one whole apple. But, he was still hungry.
On Tuesday, he ate through two pears. But, he was still hungry.
On Wednesday, he ate through three mangoes. But, he was still hungry.
On Thursday, he ate through four strawberries. But, he was still hungry.
On Friday, he ate through five oranges. But, he was still hungry.
On Saturday, he ate through one chocolate cake, one ice cream, one chips packet. That night he had a stomach ache.
On Sunday, he ate a green leaf and he felt much better. He was a big caterpillar now. He built a small house called cocoon around himself. He stayed inside for whole two weeks. He pushed his way out.
And he was a beautiful BUTTERFLY and flew away.
The second story… A little boy
Once there was a little boy. He was good at his studies, reading, writing, sports, art, quiz, drama. He was the apple of every teacher’s eye, the quintessential super kid. He was humble and helped his friends as well. So, he became a popular school leader very quickly.
Then the boy turned 15 one day. He was made the vice captain of his house unanimously and nobody doubted his credentials to become the head boy for next year. After all, he had 9 years of impeccable record at school. Something strange happened like the way it happened to the caterpillar. After years of chasing success and success chasing him hungrily, his voice did not break. His own friends started to taunt him. He would choke in front of the school assemblies. He was no longer selected for annual drama and would no longer win anymore competitions. He wasn’t elected the head boy on the grounds that he did not the leadership authority in his voice! He did what the caterpillar did as a survival strategy. He went into a cocoon. He did not speak in public.
Fast forward 10 years. The boy made it big in life. He had topped his college and university, picked up the best job, n then started to follow his heart. In short, he did come out in flying colors like a butterfly and he is still flying.
What did I learn from these two stories?
The caterpillar never stopped eating even if there was a fear of death. As the adage goes, “Dar ki aage jeet hain”!!
The boy could fight fear in his cocoon. His cocoon was his parents and his teachers. They loved wasn’t conditioned by his achievements or his disabilities. They pushed him with all unconditional support and eventually the boy pushed himself like the fat caterpillar, became a chrysalis and finally a butterfly!! Only then will every child strip himself of his fears in the cocoon and fly like a butterfly.
“How does one become a butterfly?” a curious kid might ask you the next time you tell this story Try this for an answer,” You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar”
The first story …. A very very hungry caterpillar
One Sunday morning a caterpillar came out of an egg. It was very hungry. He started to look for some food.
On Monday, he ate through one whole apple. But, he was still hungry.
On Tuesday, he ate through two pears. But, he was still hungry.
On Wednesday, he ate through three mangoes. But, he was still hungry.
On Thursday, he ate through four strawberries. But, he was still hungry.
On Friday, he ate through five oranges. But, he was still hungry.
On Saturday, he ate through one chocolate cake, one ice cream, one chips packet. That night he had a stomach ache.
On Sunday, he ate a green leaf and he felt much better. He was a big caterpillar now. He built a small house called cocoon around himself. He stayed inside for whole two weeks. He pushed his way out.
And he was a beautiful BUTTERFLY and flew away.
The second story… A little boy
Once there was a little boy. He was good at his studies, reading, writing, sports, art, quiz, drama. He was the apple of every teacher’s eye, the quintessential super kid. He was humble and helped his friends as well. So, he became a popular school leader very quickly.
Then the boy turned 15 one day. He was made the vice captain of his house unanimously and nobody doubted his credentials to become the head boy for next year. After all, he had 9 years of impeccable record at school. Something strange happened like the way it happened to the caterpillar. After years of chasing success and success chasing him hungrily, his voice did not break. His own friends started to taunt him. He would choke in front of the school assemblies. He was no longer selected for annual drama and would no longer win anymore competitions. He wasn’t elected the head boy on the grounds that he did not the leadership authority in his voice! He did what the caterpillar did as a survival strategy. He went into a cocoon. He did not speak in public.
Fast forward 10 years. The boy made it big in life. He had topped his college and university, picked up the best job, n then started to follow his heart. In short, he did come out in flying colors like a butterfly and he is still flying.
What did I learn from these two stories?
The caterpillar never stopped eating even if there was a fear of death. As the adage goes, “Dar ki aage jeet hain”!!
The boy could fight fear in his cocoon. His cocoon was his parents and his teachers. They loved wasn’t conditioned by his achievements or his disabilities. They pushed him with all unconditional support and eventually the boy pushed himself like the fat caterpillar, became a chrysalis and finally a butterfly!! Only then will every child strip himself of his fears in the cocoon and fly like a butterfly.
“How does one become a butterfly?” a curious kid might ask you the next time you tell this story Try this for an answer,” You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar”
Comments
Post a Comment