The Little Boy

I've had a bit of spare time today while James sleeps off his ear infection, and while cleaning up I came across a Noah's Ark (my work) newsletter from last year... I kept it because the following story was on the back page and it struck such a chord with me that I keep it close by to remind me of the 'teacher' I need to be, whether it's at work, at play or at home.
I think it's really important to realise how powerful (and long lasting) our influence can be on the people we come in contact with - especially all of the little children in our lives...
Hopefully it inspires you all as much as it inspires me...

The Little Boy

Once a little boy went to school.
He was quite a little boy.
And it was quite a big school.
But the little boy found that he could go to his room by walking right in from the door outside.
He was happy and school did not seem quite so big anymore.

One morning when the little boy had been in school a while, the teacher said,
“Today we are going to draw a picture”
“Good”, thought the little boy
He could draw all kinds of things, lions and tigers, chickens and cows, trains and boats –
He took out his box of crayons and began to draw
But the teacher said, “Wait, it’s not time to begin.”
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
“Now” said the teacher, “we are going to make flowers.”
“Good” thought the little boy. He liked to make flowers.
And he began to make beautiful ones with his pink and orange and blue crayons. But the teacher said, “Wait, and I will show you how” and it was red, with a green stem.
“There” said the teacher, “now you may begin.”

On another day, when the little boy had opened the door from the outside all by himself, the teacher said “Today we are going to make something with clay.”
“Good” though the little boy, He could make all kinds of things with clay – snakes and snowmen, elephants and cars and trucks, and he began to pull and pinch his ball of clay.
But the teacher said, “Wait, it is not time to begin!”
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
“Now” said the teacher, ‘We are going to make a dish”
“Good” thought the little boy, he liked to make dishes that were all shapes and sizes
But the teacher said, “Wait, and I will show you how”
And she showed everyone how to make one deep dish
“There” said the teacher “now you may begin”
The little boy looked at the teacher’s dish
Then he looked at his own.
He liked his dish better than the teacher’s
But he did not say this
He just rolled his clay into a big ball again
And made a dish like the teacher’s
It was a deep dish

And quite soon the little boy learned to wait and watch
And to make things just like the teacher and just like everyone else
And quite soon, he didn’t make anything of his own anymore

Then it happened, the little boy and his family moved to another house in another city and the little boy had to go to another school.

This school was bigger than the other one and there was no door from the outside into his room. He had to go up some big steps and walk down a long hall to get to his room.

On the very first day he was there his teacher said
“Today we are going to draw a picture”
“Good” though the little boy
And he waited for the teacher to tell him what to do.
But the teacher didn’t say anything
She just walked around the room.

When she came to the little boy she said
“Don’t you want to make a picture?”
“Yes” said the little boy “What are we going to make?”
“I don’t know until you make it” said the teacher
“How shall I make it?” asked the little boy
“Why, anyway you like” said the teacher
“And the colour?” asked the little boy
“Any colour” said the teacher. “If everyone made the same picture and used the same colours how would I know who made what and which was which?” asked the teacher.
“I don’t know”, said the little boy
And he began to make a red flower with a green stem…