A lesson worth learning
Jan 16, 2021 01:47:52 #
This is almost certainly apocryphal but it has two surprises that left me thinking for days.
An old man meets a young man who asks:
“Do you remember me?”
And the old man says no. Then the young man tells him he was his student, And the teacher asks:
“What do you do, what do you do in life?”
The young man answers:
“Well, I became a teacher.”
“ah, how good, like me?” Asks the old man.
“Well, yes. In fact, I became a teacher because you inspired me to be like you.”
The old man, curious, asks the young man at what time he decided to become a teacher. And the young man tells him the following story:
“One day, a friend of mine, also a student, came in with a nice new watch, and I decided I wanted it.
I stole it, I took it out of his pocket.
Shortly after, my friend noticed the his watch was missing and immediately complained to our teacher, who was you.
Then you addressed the class saying, ‘This student's watch was stolen during classes today. Whoever stole it, please return it.’
I didn't give it back because I didn't want to.
You closed the door and told us all to stand up and form a circle.
You were going to search our pockets one by one until the watch was found.
However, you told us to close our eyes, because you would only look for his watch if we all had our eyes closed.
We did as instructed.
You went from pocket to pocket, and when you went through my pocket, you found the watch and took it. You kept searching everyone's pockets, and when you were done you said ‘open your eyes. We have the watch.’
You didn't tell on me and you never mentioned the episode. You never said who stole the watch either. That day you saved my dignity forever. It was the most shameful day of my life.
But this is also the day I decided not to become a thief, a bad person, etc. You never said anything, nor did you even scold me or take me aside to give me a moral lesson.
I received your message clearly.
Thanks to you, I understood what a real educator needs to do.
Do you remember this episode, professor?
The old professor answered, ‘Yes, I remember the situation with the stolen watch, which I was looking for in everyone’s pocket. I didn't remember you, because I also closed my eyes while looking.’
This is the essence of teaching:
If to correct you must humiliate; you don't know how to teach.”
[Steve Daly]
An old man meets a young man who asks:
“Do you remember me?”
And the old man says no. Then the young man tells him he was his student, And the teacher asks:
“What do you do, what do you do in life?”
The young man answers:
“Well, I became a teacher.”
“ah, how good, like me?” Asks the old man.
“Well, yes. In fact, I became a teacher because you inspired me to be like you.”
The old man, curious, asks the young man at what time he decided to become a teacher. And the young man tells him the following story:
“One day, a friend of mine, also a student, came in with a nice new watch, and I decided I wanted it.
I stole it, I took it out of his pocket.
Shortly after, my friend noticed the his watch was missing and immediately complained to our teacher, who was you.
Then you addressed the class saying, ‘This student's watch was stolen during classes today. Whoever stole it, please return it.’
I didn't give it back because I didn't want to.
You closed the door and told us all to stand up and form a circle.
You were going to search our pockets one by one until the watch was found.
However, you told us to close our eyes, because you would only look for his watch if we all had our eyes closed.
We did as instructed.
You went from pocket to pocket, and when you went through my pocket, you found the watch and took it. You kept searching everyone's pockets, and when you were done you said ‘open your eyes. We have the watch.’
You didn't tell on me and you never mentioned the episode. You never said who stole the watch either. That day you saved my dignity forever. It was the most shameful day of my life.
But this is also the day I decided not to become a thief, a bad person, etc. You never said anything, nor did you even scold me or take me aside to give me a moral lesson.
I received your message clearly.
Thanks to you, I understood what a real educator needs to do.
Do you remember this episode, professor?
The old professor answered, ‘Yes, I remember the situation with the stolen watch, which I was looking for in everyone’s pocket. I didn't remember you, because I also closed my eyes while looking.’
This is the essence of teaching:
If to correct you must humiliate; you don't know how to teach.”
[Steve Daly]
Jan 16, 2021 05:23:09 #
Jan 16, 2021 05:28:19 #
twosummers
Loc: Melbourne Australia or Lincolnshire England
Nobody ever forgets a good teacher. Brilliant, I love it. Thanks for posting
Jan 16, 2021 05:35:34 #
Bridges wrote:
This is almost certainly apocryphal but it has two... (show quote)
Priceless. True character and dignity.
Thank you for posting.
Bruce
Jan 16, 2021 06:30:25 #
Jan 16, 2021 07:58:14 #
I had much the same thing happen to me. After a high school basketball practice we were all taking our showers and getting dressed in our street clothes. The head coach came in to announced that someones wallet was missing. He closed the door to the room and asked everyone to to look for it….. it was not found. He then said he was going to turn out the lights (the room had no windows) for three minutes, during which we were asked to move about the room in the dark.(Which was fun BTW!). He said he was sure the wallet would be found in the middle of the floor after the lights were turned back on. We did as he said…..and when the lights came on, there was the wallet right were he said it would be.
Jan 17, 2021 07:25:29 #
Jan 17, 2021 09:31:20 #
Jan 17, 2021 10:39:52 #
twosummers wrote:
Nobody ever forgets a good teacher. Brilliant, I love it. Thanks for posting
Yep, and bad ones are hard to forget too.
Jan 17, 2021 10:40:52 #
Jan 17, 2021 14:00:27 #
Jan 17, 2021 16:08:25 #
Haenzel
Loc: South Holland, The Netherlands
Bridges wrote:
This is almost certainly apocryphal but it has two... (show quote)
It is good to realize where we are coming from and where we are heading to (or already are....)
Jan 17, 2021 18:30:25 #
Bridges wrote:
This is almost certainly apocryphal but it has two... (show quote)
EXCELLENT LESSION FOR EVERYONE
Jan 18, 2021 01:14:34 #
Wonderful teacher.
Great lesson.
Unfortunately, in the world we live in today, there is a very good chance that teacher would be brought up on charges and fired if that lesson was taught today. Most teachers today wouldn't take that chance, and I don't blame them.....but think what society is losing because teaches are not allowed to or no one will back them up.
Might have worked prior to the 80's.
My two cents.
That said, I hope I'm wrong.
Great lesson.
Unfortunately, in the world we live in today, there is a very good chance that teacher would be brought up on charges and fired if that lesson was taught today. Most teachers today wouldn't take that chance, and I don't blame them.....but think what society is losing because teaches are not allowed to or no one will back them up.
Might have worked prior to the 80's.
My two cents.
That said, I hope I'm wrong.
Jan 18, 2021 22:07:44 #
"Bridges" I went through a bad situation this morning and it has had me down all day long and very angry at someone my wife and I have been trying to help get back on his feet for over two weeks. This story hit me right between the eyes with the part about not looking as he searched. We did what we did out of a heart of wanting to help others. Just because this person got me into the situation, I need to forget it and move on. Thank you.
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