No teacher was willing to set foot in the class. It was called, "the class of the disturbed ones." It was the worst nightmare of anybody who had a goal of calling himself or herself an educator. During the past month the homeroom teacher was replaced six times, and the last one didn't even last through a single lesson. The principal was at a loss about what to do, and without any other alternative he sent in a new teacher, a replacement. He was sure that it was only a matter of time before she too would flee from the classroom in tears and come to tell him how horrible they were, and that she could not cope with them...
But what happened was a miracle. Time passed, and not a sound was heard outside the classroom. A week went by, and then another, and there were no loud noises, and neither flying objects nor shouts burst forth from the infamous room. The teacher came and went and the class learned! It was amazing! The shocked principal could not restrain himself, and he asked the magician who had tamed the students who had been feared by everybody else to come to see him. "How did you do it?" he asked the young woman, his eyes shining, and with admiration in his voice. The young teacher looked at him modestly, and she said, "The truth is that when I first went into the classroom they did not make a good impression on me. But then I found in my desk a list of the names of the students and their IQ scores. What can I say, I was quite impressed. They had really high marks – 125, 126, 127, 130! I thought, 'These kids must be very intelligent, all I have to do is help them achieve their potential.'"
The principal looked at her and didn't understand what she was saying. What did she mean? He had known these students for years. There was no way that they could have such high IQ's! He said, "Where is the list? I want to see it!" She opened her purse and gave him a piece of paper filled with names and numbers. It only took the principal a moment to see what he had in his hands. "This is not a list of IQ's," he said to her, with his head full of new and interesting ideas. "These are the lockers that were assigned to them!"
In Whom does G-d have Faith?
The first statement that a Jew makes when he or she wakes up in the morning includes a great truth. "I give thanks to You, a strong and existing king, who mercifully gave me back my soul; Your faith is great." It is very unfortunate that because these words are often said early in the morning, while we are still half asleep and not thinking straight, we miss the great treasure of words that has just left our lips. "Your faith is great." Whose faith? It is the Holy One, Blessed be He. And in whom does He have faith? He has faith in me! The fact that I have been given the gift of life for a new day, that I have been given the strength and the ability to act, is proof that the Master of the World trusts me and depends on me. This is the way that a Jew starts every new day. Without this approach, we cannot budge an inch. With it, we can change the entire world.
The Main Driving Force
If the above thought is true for adults, it is true many times over for children. In order to go out to life and to cope, in order to find his or her place in society and to have the guts to act and accomplish something (and sometimes to fail...), a child must have a source of energy. And the most important source is to have faith in himself. He or she must recognize his abilities and his talents. He or she must realize how much he is worth, and how loved he or she is. The greatest gift that parents can give their children is to teach them to have faith in themselves. This is built up slowly, starting from the very first moment that the child comes into the world and is greeted with love, dedication, and warmth. It becomes especially important from the moment that he begins to understand, absorb, and speak.
Every opportunity must be utilized for empowerment, to stress the good points and to center on the positive sides of every child. This does not mean that criticism should be stifled when it is needed. But it must be said wisely, at the right moment, and in the proper way. And the main thing is that it must be enveloped in a large measure of love and faith. All of this is especially vital in the modern world, which is so filled with public relations and facebook, which measures a person by external and shallow characteristics, which glorifies personal achievement and interests, and which tramples anybody who stands in its way without batting an eyelash. In order to remain a person with the power of values, ethics, and Judaism, one who acts and lives successfully in this world, the child must be provided with a stable backbone and taught to build up faith in himself.
Living Space
One of the most interesting creatures in the sea near Japan is a form of carp that is called "ku" in Japanese. What is unique about this fish is that if it is grown in an aquarium it can reach a size of 5-8 cm, and if it is placed in a swimming pool it will reach a size of 25-30 cm. But if it is put into a large lake, it can grow to as much as a full meter! The living space sets the final size of this fish. Is it possible that what is true of some fish is also true of human beings?
