|
The Parable of The Child
Steve Goodier
There
is a difference between education and
experience. Education is what you get from reading the small
print.
Experience is what you get from not reading it!
But isn't it true that great learning comes from both
education and
experience? Let me tell you a parable:
A young school teacher had a dream that an angel appeared to him and
said, "You will be given a child who will grow up to become a world
leader. How will you prepare her so that she will realize her
intelligence, grow in confidence, develop both her assertiveness and
sensitivity, be open-minded, yet strong in character? In short,
what
kind of education will you provide that she can become one of the
world's truly great leaders?"
The young teacher awoke in a cold sweat. It had never occurred to
him
before — any one of his present or future students could be the person
described in his dream. Was he preparing them to rise to Any
position
to which they may aspire? He thought, ‘How might my teaching
change if
I knew that one of my students were this person?' He gradually
began to
formulate a plan in his mind.
This student would need experience as well as instruction. She
would
need to know how to solve problems of various kinds. She would
need to
grow in character as well as knowledge. She would need
self-assurance
as well as the ability to listen well and work with others. She
would
need to understand and appreciate the past, yet feel optimistic about
the future. She would need to know the value of lifelong learning
in
order to keep a curious and active mind. She would need to grow
in
understanding of others and become a student of the spirit. She
would
need to set high standards for herself and learn self discipline, yet
she would also need love and encouragement, that she might be filled
with love and goodness.
His teaching changed. Every young person who walked through his
classroom became, for him, a future world leader. He saw each
one, not
as they were, but as they could be. He expected the best from his
students, yet tempered it with compassion. He taught each one as
if the
future of the world depended on his instruction.
After many years, a woman he knew rose to a position of world
prominence. He realized that she must surely have been the girl
described in his dream. Only she was not one of his students, but
rather his daughter. For of all the various teachers in her life,
her
father was the best.
I've heard it said that "Children are living messages we send to a time
and place we will never see." But this isn't simply a parable
about an
unnamed school teacher. It is a parable about you and me —
whether or
not we are parents or even teachers. And the story, our story,
actually
begins like this:
"You will be given a child who will grow up to become…." You
finish the
sentence. If not a world leader, then a superb father? An
excellent
teacher? A gifted healer? An innovative problem
solver? An inspiring
artist? A generous philanthropist?
Where and how you will encounter this child is a mystery. But
believe
that one child's future may depend upon influence only you can provide,
and something remarkable will happen. For no young person will
ever be
ordinary to you again. And you will never be the same.
© 2002 Steve Goodier Life
Support System Publishing,
Inc.
Defining
Moments
Archives
Copyright
© 2006, Jace Carlton. All International Rights Reserved.
|
|
