Not Just Another Apple Story

One of my kids, Deus, sent me this story today with the stern injunction:

Must read this story  

Hi,

Food for thought - for all of you

good lesson.

A teacher teaching Maths to a five-year-old student asked him, "If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?" Within a few seconds the student replied confidently, "Four!"
The dismayed teacher was expecting an effortless, correct answer (three). She was disappointed. "Maybe the child did not listen properly," she thought. She repeated, "My boy, listen carefully. If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?"
The student had seen the disappointment on his teacher's face. He calculated again on his fingers. But within him he was also searching for the answer that would make the teacher happy. His search for the answer was not for the correct one, but the one that would make his teacher happy. This time hesitatingly he replied, "Four…"
The disappointment stayed on the teacher's face. She remembered that this student liked strawberries. She thought maybe he doesn't like apples and that is making him lose focus. This time with an exaggerated excitement and a twinkle in her eyes she asked, "If I give you one strawberry and one strawberry and one strawberry, then how many you will have?"
Seeing the teacher happy, the boy calculated on his fingers again. There was no pressure on him, but a little on the teacher. She wanted her new approach to succeed. With a hesitating smile the student enquired, "Three?"
The teacher now had a victorious smile. Her approach had succeeded. She wanted to congratulate herself. But one last thing remained. Once again she asked him, "Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple how many will you have?"
Promptly the student answered, "Four!"
The teacher was aghast. "How my boy, how?" she demanded in a slightly stern and irritated voice. In a voice that was low and hesitating young student replied, "Because I already have one apple in my bag."
Moral of the Story:
When someone gives you an answer that is different from what you expect, don't think they are wrong. There maybe an angle that you have not understood at all. You will have to listen and understand, but never listen with a predetermined notion.

Regards

Deus Bajaj

Having spent part of the afternoon with a group of kids from the same class - whose rehearsal had finished early and who wanted to spend time with me - or, if the truth be told, pull my leg relentlessly about my [dreadful] violin recitals - I did not dare disobey the injunction! This group was the one that taught me a great deal about a lot of things when I, first as their year coordinator, then as a form tutor, had the most brilliantly illuminating years of my life. As they finally left I remembered, with much fondness and a lot of nostalgia, the two years in which we grew together...

What stands out from amongst the many experiences we shared is our annual camp at Potter's Hill, Shimla.

Sometimes, I read the journal I wrote about this camp and remember everything so clearly in spite of an otherwise uncooperative data bank of memories. One evening, as they wrote their experiences down in their camp journals, the sun set gently behind them and the warm glow combined with a chilly breeze to make a heady mixture. It hit me in the gut then: all of them had to, usually, be dragged kicking and screaming to anything that even vaguely smelt of academics. But educating them could be so effortless... this effortless.

This afternoon, the "gang" made me log on to facebook and play the video of a terrible attempt at playing Annie's Song - from a year ago. We cracked up through the 2.5 minutes that the video played - roaring at the scratchy notes, the off-key ones, the louder-than-awful ones. They asked several times why I was hell-bent on destroying aesthitics forever, tried to sneak away with my violin to prevent my ever playing it again and asked whether or not I had ever had to take the violin to the hospital. They sympathized completely with Sara's general pain; and when I threatened to join the school orchestra, they promised to pay me to stay away.

Two years ago, they taught me to laugh again. When they were put in my charge, I was known to be a formidable figure in middle school, a stern, no-nonsense person to the point of being dreaded if they got on the wrong side of the law. We had set out for this camp with much trepidation, sure that a few of them would think up a lark and drown all of us in toto. However, all of us [the adults] have only the fondest memories of the camp. It was remarkable how responsible they were in the fun they had; how caring towards each other; and how innocently considerate of us.

So, really, this story from Deus is not just another apple story. It is part of my ongoing education - to learn a little each day, to love a lot, and to laugh straight from the heart.

Thanks, guys, for being there for me :)!