The story of the little boy

A few months ago I saw something passing by on Facebook. A story by Helen Buckley I really want to share with you. So let's sit for it, take a coffee or maybe you prefer a tea or hot chocolate and begin to read. 

The little boy

"Once a little boy went to school. One morning the teacher said: "Today we are going to make a picture." "Good!" thought the little boy. He liked to make all kinds: lions and tigers, chickens and cows, trains and boats. And he took out his box of crayons And began to draw. 

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 flowers." "Good!" thought the little boy, He liked 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." 

The little boy looked at his teacher's flower. Then he looked at his own flower. He liked his flower better than the teacher's but he did not say this. He just turned his paper over, And made a flower like the teacher's. It was red, with a green stem. 

On another day the teacher said: "Today we are going to make something with clay." "Good!" thought the little boy. He liked clay. He could make all kinds of things with clay: snakes and snowmen, elephants and mice, 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. And he began to make some 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 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 pretty soon the little boy learned to wait. And to watch and to make things just like the teacher. And pretty soon he didn't make things of his own anymore. Then it happened that the little boy and his family moved to another house, in another city. And the little boy had to go to another school. 

The teacher said: "Today we are going to make a picture." "Good!" thought the little boy. And he waited for the teacher to tell what to do. But the teacher didn't say anything. She just walked around the room. 

When she came to the little boy she asked: "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 any color?" asked the little boy. "Any color," said the teacher. And he began to make a red flower with a green stem. " 

Is it good to learn children to not use their imagination? I don't think so. Children have a great imagination and with their imagination they could forget sometimes the bad things that happen in their life. They see the world from another point of view. Is this point of view bad? Not at all! Maybe they see things that you don't see. 

I have a great example that I saw in my own class. I gave the children the instruction to make a drawing from a word. They needed to use their imagination and creativity to make a drawing that maybe seems ridiculous to others or in real life. One of the children from my class had chosen the word "newspaper headline'. He drew a newspaper but the newspaper was a head. He also drew legs and arms. So he made a boy with a paperhead and the boy was reading a newspaper. This wasn't the only instruction they got. They also needed to write a poem about the drawing they made. The poem was also great and suited very well with the drawing.

Another instruction that I gave, on another day, was drawing a skeleton. The children drew the skeleton on a black paper with white chalk. This was the only thing that was the same but every skeleton looked different. Then the children must give the skeleton a weird hat. Each of them came up with another weird hat. The results were so great. I was amazed!

These days a lot of people find it weird to think different. They see it as a disease. Thinking in a different way isn't a disease. It"s just another way of thinking and using a different type of brain. Everyone is different and it woud be boring if everyone would think the same. It's the same with kids. If all the kids would think the same then it's not fun to learn from them and see things in a different way.

So you see. Letting children use their imaginiation can lead to wonderful things. If every child must write the same poem and make the same drawing school would be boring for them. The only thing they learn then is being a monkey. They all do the same thing and in the end the results will also be the same. Isn't it much fun to make something unique?

What do children learn when they all draw the same thing? Maybe wich color the flowers and their stem have. But nothing more. Not a lot of people use their imagination anymore and I find that a bit sad. Using your imagination can give you great ideas and solution. Maybe solution you never thought about. Learning children that it's good to use their imagination is great. They will use it hopefully in their life more and more.

Being different isn't weird. Being different is showing who you really are!

Toinon