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Counting the Apples – Amazing Lesson

A teacher teaching Maths to seven-year-old Laiq asked him, “If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?”Within a few seconds Laiq replied confidently, “Four!”

The dismayed teacher was expecting an effortless correct answer (three).  She was disappointed.  “Maybe the child did not listen properly,” she thought.  She repeated, “Laiq, listen carefully.  If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?”

Laiq had seen the disappointment on his teacher’s face.  He calculated again on his fingers.  But within him he was also searching for the answer that will make the teacher happy.  His search for the answer was not for the correct one, but the one that will make his teacher happy.  This time hesitatingly he replied, “Four…”

The disappointment stayed on the teacher’s face.  She remembered that Laiq liked strawberries.  She thought maybe he doesn’t like apples and that is making him loose focus.  This time with an exaggerated excitement and twinkling in her eyes she asked, “If I give you one strawberry and one strawberry and one strawberry, then how many you will have?”

Seeing the teacher happy, young Laiq calculated on his fingers again.  There was no pressure on him, but a little on the teacher.  She wanted her new approach to succeed.  With a hesitating smile young Laiq enquired, “Three?”

The teacher now had a victorious smile.  Her approach had succeeded.  She wanted to congratulate herself.  But one last thing remained.  Once again she asked him, “Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple how many will you have?”

Promptly Laiq answered, “Four!”

The teacher was aghast.  “How Laiq, how?” she demanded in a little stern and irritated voice.

In a voice that was low and hesitating young Laiq replied, “Because I already have one apple in my bag.”

“When someone gives you an answer that is different from what you expect don’t think they are wrong.  There maybe an angle that you have not understood at all. You will have to listen and understand, but never listen with a predetermined notion.”

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43 Responses to Counting the Apples – Amazing Lesson

  1. mubeen June 7, 2015 at 1:04 PM #

    Hi, Sara, I like your every message i receive, i read all emails with full energy with expectation of some message and try my self before i come to end while reading i should be able to understand what the message is all about.

    Thanks a lot sara.

  2. Zeshan Ahmad December 3, 2013 at 10:52 AM #

    Amazing.

  3. fathima August 13, 2013 at 5:10 PM #

    well from bottom of my heart i want to thank you sara. i think not only teachers but also everyone must understand this because we always expect answer in our way.we never give chance to others to put their opinion on air.

    • Ali - Admin August 21, 2013 at 4:16 PM #

      Welcome Fathima.

  4. Mohammad Mansour April 6, 2013 at 12:39 PM #

    Thanks dear Sara
    The teacher question was nor properly indicating what she did mean?
    It is very important to be a specific in addressing the statement.

    Good Story of valuable morale

    • Ali - Admin April 7, 2013 at 10:54 AM #

      Welcome Mohammad. Glad you liked it.

  5. Sonah January 26, 2013 at 6:22 PM #

    Children have their own reasoning and rational. When counteracted, they react,promptly and sometimes agressively. They may resist unto the last to maintain their logic.

  6. lovely November 26, 2012 at 10:56 AM #

    Too good story love it

  7. nizamhm1944 October 15, 2012 at 2:03 PM #

    She should have asked that “how many apples I gave you?”

    As the boy is a clever and honest , he told the actual number of apples he had.

  8. tanweer ishrat October 10, 2012 at 1:14 AM #

    very smart anwser ,,realy stunning and I got a very good lesson ,,love you sara

  9. Syed Rizwan October 10, 2012 at 1:10 AM #

    Nice collection SARA… Good effort keep going.

  10. sharif123 October 9, 2012 at 11:56 PM #

    Beautiful Moral

  11. Mubarek AL-Amin July 8, 2012 at 1:58 AM #

    If you dropped an apple and you picked an apple? Which apple do you have.

  12. somya June 26, 2012 at 4:20 AM #

    Merci beaucoup Sara, je tiens @ vous dire que je choisis vos emails pami tous je trouve que vous utiliser un Anglais facile et vos sujets toujours interessants
    Somya

  13. Imran Khan June 26, 2012 at 2:17 AM #

    Great lesson with simple story

    • Sara - Admin June 26, 2012 at 3:07 PM #

      Thanks Imran.

  14. annonomous June 25, 2012 at 10:50 PM #

    nice n thnx for sharing with me:)

    • Sara - Admin June 26, 2012 at 3:06 PM #

      Thnx. Please share it with your friends as well.

  15. nise June 25, 2012 at 2:01 PM #

    nise

  16. Sibghtullah June 25, 2012 at 1:26 PM #

    It’s Very Amazing Story .

    • Sara - Admin June 26, 2012 at 3:07 PM #

      Nice to know you liked it Sibghatullah!

  17. binteislam June 25, 2012 at 10:36 AM #

    good one it gives different approach.

    • Sara - Admin June 25, 2012 at 1:21 PM #

      True.

  18. Miyan March 8, 2012 at 11:40 AM #

    Its real fun… Till the end, I didn’t have any idea what will be down there… cmilz…

    • Sara March 9, 2012 at 10:24 AM #

      lol.

  19. HAIDER ALI786 March 7, 2012 at 4:46 AM #

    Its Amazing and I like it what a intelligent boy..

  20. Anonymous February 20, 2012 at 6:23 PM #

    Best of month SARA.

    • Sara February 20, 2012 at 8:41 PM #

      thanks.

  21. Asim February 20, 2012 at 11:27 AM #

    Well we shouldn’t never ever assume, further more in this story the understanding b/w the Teacher & Student was good. I wish all teacher should be like this story teacher, those are worry about his/her students

  22. Taher January 18, 2012 at 8:54 AM #

    just imagining the face of the cute Laiq……

  23. Sethu Rajan October 25, 2011 at 7:57 AM #

    amazin………….sum tym it happens dat “students think more deeply dan d teachers…..”

  24. Shahid593 October 20, 2011 at 7:34 AM #

    very interesting n njoyable almost all. thank you  for providing good items .

  25. Aboki October 11, 2011 at 10:59 AM #

    Absolutely…

    We shouldn’t jump to conclusions

    Merci Beaucoup, Ma’am Sara!

  26. YusefQasemQufaanAl-Yemeni October 7, 2011 at 3:50 AM #

    i thought it wouldve ended like that lol
    nice nd thankss 🙂

  27. Md_arshad_hussain October 5, 2011 at 10:38 AM #

    Quite interesting… the kid is right from one angle… cute…

  28. mustafa October 4, 2011 at 3:53 PM #

    i wish we had teachers like that

  29. Buhs222 October 4, 2011 at 2:00 PM #

    Nice

  30. Ayoob September 24, 2011 at 12:18 PM #

    try to view the facts from different ancle

  31. YOUNUSIRFAN September 23, 2011 at 11:12 AM #

    i think teacher’s name is SARA 

  32. mahwish August 25, 2010 at 4:35 PM #

    very nice

  33. Anwar Tahir August 15, 2010 at 1:02 PM #

    nice one

  34. FAKhan April 4, 2010 at 2:11 PM #

    another view

  35. Mohsin March 21, 2010 at 3:25 PM #

    Nice ,