THE ELEPHANT
December 03, 2021
Prayer: Dear Lord, please remind us to bless and encourage our students and co-workers and not take life and energy and enthusiasm from them. Thank You. Amen
Scripture: Fathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart. Col. 3:21 NAS
“How could you do such a thing!” I looked at the plaster elephant I’d broken in pieces tapping it on the cast of my friend, Pam. The elephant was supposed to be mine, but it wasn’t. Mr. Mohammed had made mine. He took my piece of plaster and used it as an example, then handed it to me when it was done — by his hands — and not mine. I didn’t “own” that elephant. I hadn’t made it. I didn’t want it. It wasn’t mine. So I broke it on my friend’s cast.
“You could have hurt her arm! Why did you do that?” The teacher looked down at me, hands on hips, frowning.
I shrugged. The reason I hit Pam with my plaster elephant was simply that the elephant made a great “knocking” noise on Pam’s cast.
I hated the elephant. The art teacher didn’t let me make my own. He took my piece of plaster and made the elephant. What was I doing while he was making the elephant? Sitting there watching everyone else create.
Teachers! Let students learn by putting their hands on their own work. It gives them no satisfaction to take home a wonderful painting that you did. What message does it send children when you do their work for them? What does it say when you change the wording on her essay when you type it for her?
I would have been quite happy with an elephant that looked like a fist instead of an elephant. It would have been mine.
Of course, we need to teach, and redirect, and encourage excellence. But to do a student’s work for him or her? That gives no pleasure and leads to feelings of inadequacy and discouragement.
Copyright Cheryl Skid. To connect with the author, email [email protected]
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