October 12, 2022

Notes by Aarya Mishra

Review

Sumanji reviewed the story from last class, where the lion thought she was a sheep. The longer she did sheep things, the more confused and uncomfortable she got. When another lion came and told her to look at her reflection, she realized she was a lion, and felt proud and grateful. The moral of the story are the three B’s

   1. Be yourself. Don’t be afraid of who you are.

   2. Be courageous. Don’t be afraid of challenges, rather try to solve them

   3. Be decisive. Don’t let others control you too much, or you will end up regretting it.

Story

There was a boy playing on a Saturday morning in his sandbox. He was very happy because he had everything he needed – a bucket for sand, a small shovel, ect. He began to make a town, with roads and such. As he went to the middle, he felt a rock! So he began to dig around it, but it was very big and heavy. Eventually, he managed to push it to the edge of the sandbox. However, he couldn’t push it out. He put all of his weight against it, but still couldn’t. He became very sad and began to cry. His father, who was watching him, went out and walked up to him. The boy turned around and saw him. His father then asked him, “Why didn’t you try your hardest?” The boy said that he had. His father then said, “If you had tried your hardest, you would have asked me to help. He then picked up the stone and moved it.

Lesson

   1. Effort – When we don’t want to do something, we usually want to ask for help. When things are difficult, we should take it as an opportunity to apply effort. For example, the boy in the story tried his hardest to move the rock. We should do the same, and if you still cannot do it, then ask for help from an elder. Do your hardest first, then ask for help.

   2. Empower – The dad could’ve helped his son in the beginning, but decided to let his son try and figure it out on his own. Once it was clear he couldn’t do it, then he went out to help. Similarly, if someone asks for your help, first try to let them figure it out, and then help them. For example, when a butterfly is coming out of its cocoon, and you notice it is struggling, if you help it, it might end up without the ability to fly. 

To sum up both of these, say you were doing homework, and you get confused, first try your hardest (look at your notes, try different strategies, ect.), then ask a parent or teacher for help. Doing this shows effort and sincerity. However, rather than saying, ‘do this for me,’ say ‘help me do this.’

RAW

If you ever get stuck on something, rather in school, home, or camp, try one more time, before asking. However, if it is something possibly dangerous (reaching high items, cutting vegetables, ect.), please ask first.

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Notes by Mihika Balaji

Story

The boy and the rock

One Saturday morning, a little boy was playing in his sandbox. He used shovels, trucks and lots of other playthings to make a city. He built waterways, roads and more. But, in the middle of the city there was a rock. It was almost as big as the sandbox.

 “I’ll save the city!” He said.

He dug it out. Then, he started pushing it. He pushed to the other side of the sandbox. His hands and feet are bruised. He used his shovel and everything he had to push it. But it did not work. He started crying.He was very frustrated. The city got wet. Out of the window, the boy’s father saw him. He came outside. The boy saw his dad.

 “Why didn’t you use all your strength?” his father asked him.

  “I did.” The boy told him.

   “You didn’t use all of it.” His father responded. “ You did not ask me.”

  The boy’s father picks up the rock with both hands and keeps it out of the sandbox.

Lesson of the story

1. You should not always ask for help but if you can’t do something you should
2. Don’t hesitate to ask for help
3. Never give up
4. Put in effort

The 2 Es

Effort

When things are hard, try hard and put in effort. The boy forgot to ask for help. His father looked over him and helped.

Example– You ask your parents for help every time you tie your shoes. But one day, they leave early. They can’t tie your shoes.

Empower

The father waited until his son had tried his hardest then helped. He probably wanted to help from the start, as all parents do, but he waited for the boy to put in all his effort before coming to help. You must wait for a person to become stronger before you help them. Empower others and let them empower you.

Example– A caterpillar must break out of its cocoon before becoming a butterfly. If you help it, it won’t be able to fly when it has wings. That is its first challenge as a butterfly. 

Activity

Imagine you are sitting at your desk doing homework but you don’t know the answer to a question. What would you do?

1. Look at notes for a solution
2. Ask for help when you have thought about it for a long time
3. Ask a teacher or parent for a strategy not a solution; “ Help me learn how to do this, not do it for me”

If I was hungry, you would give me a snack. If I was hungry again, and you taught me how to grow my own food, then I should not ask you for food since I can grow my own.

R.A.W (Reflection Adventure of the Week)

Every time you do something, put in all the effort you have then ask for help (make sure that you don’t try any dangerous stuff)