Too Smart for School
Mari Arbach
BEFORE YOU READ:
This story is apocryphal. It has been told many times, but the details are not accurate. Still, it is an interesting story. It teaches a lesson. Do you know any stories (or fables) that may or may not be true but that teach a lesson?
The Teacher Said He Could Not Learn
He was ten years old when he was expelled from school. His teacher said he was stupid and unable to learn. He was always distracted in class. He acted like he didn’t hear what the teacher was saying. One day, the teacher handed him a letter asked him to deliver it to his mother. The letter was sealed.
The Mother Did Not Believe It
The child gave the letter to his mother. The letter said that the boy could not learn. He was expelled. When she read it, she was shocked and angry. However, the mother stayed calm. She did not show her anger. She told her son a white lie. She said, “The teacher says he is sorry, but you are too smart for the school. You need a special school, so I will be your teacher here at home.”
He Became a Famous Inventor
This mother became her son’s teacher. She worked with him until he became a young man who filled the world with amazing inventions. He is the scientist Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric light bulb and many other inventions.
AFTER YOU READ:
1. What is this story trying to teach us? What is a white lie?
2. Read the box below and click on the link to find out more about Thomas Edison’s life.
Mari Arbach is an adult education student at Oakton College in Des Plaines, Illinois.