THE LITTLE SHEPHERD

Pic.: Rajiv Sharma

Two days ago, an eleven-year old joined our on-going PD course for Pre-teens. This boy came from a well-off family. Both parents were educated. He went to one of the best ICSC schools. Yet, here in our class, I found him very restless. He was intelligent and articulate, but, the problem was his inappropriate behavior in the class... He would indulge in every kind of negative-attention-seeking behavior. Other students would find it extremely repulsive and I had quite a task in hand to make them understand as to why this boy would take some time to settle down... So, they did their best to put up with all his irritating behavior...

For me, all were alike... Because the boy needed help, their parents had entrusted their little boy into my hands. So, I had a huge responsibility... of not over-reacting to this boy’s, almost, eccentric behavior in the class. I blew hot and blew cold... kept gently, firmly and angrily reminding him about what was expected of him. But, the odd foolish-behavior wouldn’t end.

“Beta, you go to the best school. Can you behave like this in your school?” I asked him with my gentle firmness.

“In school, there are ‘rules’,” the little-one said.

“Correct. You know, there are rules, in this class, too,” I explained.

“Where?” the boy made a funny face, stood up from his seat and started looking all around on the wall, “There are no rules here.”

I could, instantly, sense the repulsion on the faces of every little-one in the class. It was too much for them to take... In deed, it was too much for me, too...

“Sir, make him sit in the other room,” a little-fellow reacted in irritation.

“Shall I send you there?” I asked the boy.

“Ok,” the boy was ready.

“Beta, if you do not behave properly, I will call your dad, now,” I said quite sternly.

“Call,” he said.

But, I knew, that was not the solution to this boy’s problem. So, for a while, I decided to ignore him... and asked others to do the same...

The story of the shepherd boy who fooled the villagers crying wolf... Yes, this story came to my mind.

“Do you know the story of the boy who cried wolf?” I asked the class.

Many hands went up.

A boy and a girl went up and narrated their own versions, supported by the moral. Suddenly, this boy’s hand went up. “Sir, it is not wolf, it is lion,” he said.

“Is it?” I raised my eyebrows, “Can you tell the story, beta?”

The boy went to the podium, and narrated the same story, replacing the wolf with a lion. But, he was very serious and forceful... He was not restless and fooling around, this time. As he ended, I shouted, “Give him a standing ovation!”

The entire class was on its feet and applauding!

“This is the first standing ovation, my dear children,” I reminded all of them, “I have not given it to anyone in my class.”

They agreed.

“This is for your friend’s good behavior,” I affirmed, “He has really become a very good boy!”

As the class gave a long applause, the boy’s face lit up on stage. He wasn’t restless or fooling anymore... “Sir, can I tell the moral?” he asked me.

“Please do, beta,” I encouraged.

“Friends, the moral of the story is: In life, it is very difficult to win trust; but, it is easy to lose it!”

“Wow!” I caressed the little-one’s head, as I ushered him back to his seat amidst the cheers from all his classmates... who, a while ago, had made faces and wished either a wolf or a lion to come to our class and take him away!

GERALD D’CUNHA