They told me the story of some children who spent their time playing pranks on their teacher. When the mischief became material damage, those involved were arrested at the address and the presence of their respective parents was requested.
They reached an agreement that they would pay for the damage, but it was not possible for all of them, so with one they reached an agreement that he would pay with work. And that’s how this boy had to go to the teacher’s house to pay his debt.
From the first day he showed up at his house, the young man noticed that the teacher stopped the activity he was doing to watch the train. At first he had invited the student to see him, but he refused and explained that he used to do it with his father but since he had abandoned him, not anymore.
The teacher had a library in his house and he had the boy put the books in alphabetical order. He took several days as he had many. Once the teacher gave the go-ahead that he had done the task correctly, the next assignment was to rearrange them alphabetically but inverted. Faced with the young man’s protests, the teacher reminded him of the debt he had to pay. And so, with some resignation but still protesting, the student had to tidy up the library several times.
On one occasion, while arranging the books, the boy discovered some photos of some children. Realizing this, the teacher changed his countenance and without further explanation told him not to be searching and to get to work.
Over time, the student asks the teacher why he had not required his classmates, also involved, to pay in the same way as him. That was how the teacher explained with an analogy. The railway is made up of a locomotive and several wagons. The wagons cannot power the train, the locomotive does. It is an essential part of these. The student was chosen because he was a locomotive compared to his classmates, who only followed his actions, but he had to take care not to derail.
A few days later, at school, the teenager realized that the teacher had not shown up to teach. When he went to investigate why, they explained that he had resigned but that he had left her a letter. In the letter he detailed that his mission as a teacher had already been fulfilled because he had managed to prevent his student from going off the rails. He also took the opportunity to explain that the photos he had once found were his children, but that he had been derailed.
Beyond teaching, this story reflects what many teachers feel when facing a group: find the locomotive to prevent it from going off the rails.
#wagons #propel #train #locomotive