Forty Wonderful Educational Stories
1. Silent Education: The Educational Skills of the Old Zen Master
It is said that in ancient times, there was an old Zen master who one evening was strolling in the Zen temple and saw a chair by the wall. He immediately realized that a monk had violated the temple rules and climbed over the wall. Instead of making a fuss, the old Zen master quietly walked to the wall, moved the chair away, and squatted down.
Not long after, he indeed heard some noise from outside the wall. Shortly, a young monk climbed over the wall and jumped into the courtyard, stepping on the back of the old Zen master in the darkness. When his feet touched the ground, the young monk realized that what he had stepped on was not a chair but his own master. The young monk was instantly panic-stricken, speechless, and could only stand there waiting for the master's reprimand and punishment.
To the young monk's surprise, the master did not scold him harshly but instead said calmly:
"It's late and it's cool; go put on more clothes."
2. The Power of Character - Mr. Zhang Boling Sets an Example by Quitting Smoking
Zhang Boling, a renowned Chinese educator, successively founded Nankai University, Nankai Girls' High School, and Nankai Primary School after 1919. He paid great attention to teaching students civility and courtesy and practiced what he preached as a role model. Once, he noticed a student whose fingers were stained yellow from smoking, so he seriously advised the student: "Smoking is harmful to your health; you should quit." Unexpectedly, the student retorted somewhat defiantly, "Then isn't your smoking also harmful to your health?" Zhang Boling, faced with the student's challenge, apologized with a smile and immediately called the janitor to bring all his Philippine cigars, destroying them in front of everyone. He also broke his cherished tobacco pipe and sincerely said, "From now on, I will quit smoking with all of you students." Indeed, from that day forward, he never smoked again.
3. A Single Sentence Changed a Student's Life - Principal Pi Erbao's "Miraculous Recovery"
"I can tell from your slender pinky finger that one day you will definitely become the governor of New York State," a simple sentence changed a student's life. These words came from Pi Erbao, principal of the Big Sandhead Nobita Elementary School in New York. The "you" in this statement referred to Roger Rolles, a mischievous student at the time. Rolles was born in the notorious Big Sandhead slum in New York City, where the environment was dirty, violence was rampant, and it was a gathering place for smugglers and vagrants. As a result, he was influenced negatively from a young age. In elementary school, he often skipped classes, fought, and stole. One day, when he jumped off the windowsill and stretched his hand toward the podium, Principal Pi Erbao caught him red-handed. Surprisingly, the principal did not criticize him but instead earnestly said the above sentence and gave him thoughtful guidance and encouragement. Rolles was greatly shocked because in his short life, only his grandmother had once inspired him, saying he could become the captain of a five-ton boat. He remembered the principal's words and firmly believed they were true. From that day on, "Governor of New York State" became like a flag flying high in his heart. Rolles no longer wore clothes covered in mud, spoke clean language, and acted purposefully. For over forty years afterward, he held himself to the standard of a governor every day. At the age of fifty-one, he finally became the Governor of New York State.
4. The Power of Tolerance - Tao Xingzhi's Four Candies
When Tao Xingzhi was serving as principal, one day he saw a boy using a brick to hit a classmate and stopped him, asking him to come to the principal's office. When Tao returned to his office, the boy was already waiting there. Tao took out a candy and gave it to the boy: "This is a reward for you because you arrived at the office before me." Then he took out another candy and said, "This is also for you. I told you not to hit classmates, but you stopped immediately, showing respect for me." The boy hesitantly accepted the second candy, and Tao continued, "According to my understanding, you hit your classmate because he bullied girls, which shows you have a strong sense of justice, so I'll give you another candy." At this point, the boy was moved to tears and said, "Principal, I was wrong. No matter how wrong my classmate was, I shouldn't have reacted this way." Tao then took out another candy: "Since you've admitted your mistake, I'll give you another one. My candies are finished, and our conversation is over."
5. Praise Is Like a Candle in a Dark Room
According to weather forecasts from the meteorological station, a typhoon was about to hit a small coastal town. The townspeople panicked and actively prepared for prevention. A mother was busy while her little daughter stood beside her. "This damn typhoon...", the mother muttered while packing things up. "I like typhoons," the little girl disagreed. The mother was surprised because typhoons were highly destructive, ruining crops, blowing down houses, disrupting transportation, causing inconvenience and loss to people's lives. Yet, this little one said she liked typhoons. "Child, tell Mommy why you like typhoons?" the mother asked cautiously. "Last time the typhoon came, the power went out," the little girl answered without hesitation. "So what if the power goes out?" "We light candles at night." "Do you like lighting candles?" "Yes, last time (referring to the evening when the typhoon blew through) I walked around with a lit candle, and you said I looked like a little angel." The mother was momentarily speechless, then immediately stopped what she was doing, picked up the little girl, kissed her cheeks, leaned close to her ear, and said one sentence – Child, you will always be an angel!
6. The Buddha Table Blossoms – Giving the Prodigal Son Another Chance
There was once a young monk who was greatly favored by the abbot. The abbot taught him everything he knew, hoping he would become an outstanding disciple of the Buddhist order. Unexpectedly, one night he developed worldly desires and secretly left the mountain. The dazzling city lights captivated his eyes, and he indulged in a life of debauchery. Twenty years later, on a moonlit night, he suddenly repented. He got up, hurriedly saddled his horse, and rushed to the temple to seek his master's forgiveness. The abbot deeply despised his dissolute behavior and refused to take him back as a disciple, saying, "You have committed grave sins and will fall into the Avici Hell. To be forgiven by the Buddha, flowers must bloom on the table." Disappointed, the prodigal son left. The next day, when the abbot entered the Buddha Hall, he found the Buddha table covered with clusters of blossoms. Realizing the truth instantly, he hurriedly went down the mountain to find his disciple, but it was too late. The disheartened prodigal son had fallen back into a life of recklessness, and the flowers on the Buddha table bloomed only for a single day. That night, the abbot passed away, leaving behind these final words: "In this world, there is no wrong path that cannot be turned back from, no mistake that cannot be corrected." A sincere thought towards goodness is the rarest miracle, like flowers blooming on the Buddha table. What destroys miracles is not mistakes, but a cold, unforgiving, and unbelieving heart.
7. Correct Others by First Correcting Yourself
In California, USA, a lady owned a precious parrot. This parrot was very beautiful, but it had a bad habit: it often coughed with a hoarse and unpleasant sound, as if its throat was filled with disgusting phlegm. The lady was very worried and quickly took it to see a veterinarian, fearing it might have contracted some strange respiratory disease. The examination results showed that the parrot was completely healthy and had no problems. The lady anxiously asked why the parrot made such an unpleasant coughing sound, and the doctor replied, "As the saying goes, parrots mimic speech. It makes the coughing sound because it hears it frequently. Someone in your home must cough often, right?"
At this, the lady felt somewhat embarrassed. She herself had the habit of smoking, so she often coughed, and the parrot was merely mimicking her cough perfectly.
8. Harsh Words Chill Even in June
A bear was injured in a fight with a companion and came to beg for help outside a forest ranger's cabin.
The ranger, seeing its pitiful state, decided to take it in. In the evening, the ranger patiently and carefully wiped the blood off the bear, bandaged its wounds, and prepared a sumptuous dinner for it to enjoy. All of this deeply moved the bear. Just before sleeping, since there was only one bed, the ranger invited the bear to sleep with him. As the bear entered the blanket, the foul smell emanating from its body reached the ranger's nose. "My God! I've never smelled anything so terrible. You're the biggest stink bug in the world!"
The bear made no response, unable to sleep, barely enduring until dawn before thanking the ranger and leaving.
Years later, during a chance encounter, the ranger asked the bear, "You were badly injured that time. Are your wounds healed now?"
The bear replied, "The pain in my flesh has faded, but the wound in my heart will never heal!"
9. Give Every Weed a Chance to Bloom
A hermit lived in the mountains. He was diligent, and every spring, as soon as the weeds on the steps began to sprout, he would clear them away.
One day, the hermit decided to go on a long journey and asked a friend to look after his yard. Unlike him, this friend was lazy and never trimmed the weeds, letting them grow wildly.
By late summer, a weed bloomed, its five-petaled flowers exuding a faint fragrance. The flowers resembled orchids in the forest, except the edges of the petals were wax-yellow. This friend suspected it might also be a type of orchid and plucked some leaves and flowers to consult a plant expert. The expert carefully examined them and excitedly said, "This is a rare variety of orchid. Many people spend their entire lives trying to find it, and if sold in the city flower market, each plant would cost at least 10,000 yuan."
"Wax orchid?!" This friend was astonished. And when the hermit learned the result, he was also stunned. Reflecting, he said, "Actually, this wax orchid sprouted every spring, but I pulled it out as soon as it appeared. If I had patiently waited for it to bloom, I could have discovered its value years ago."
10. The Rose That Never Wilted
In a school in the former Soviet Union, roses bloomed beautifully in the campus greenhouse, and many students came to admire them every day, but no one picked them.
One morning, a four-year-old child (attending the kindergarten of the school) entered the greenhouse and picked the largest and most beautiful rose. As she walked out with the flower, the school principal met her. Wanting to know why the little girl picked the flower, the principal bent down kindly and asked, "Can you tell me who this flower is for?"
"For my grandma. She is very sick, and I told her there's a huge rose in school, but she didn't believe me. So I picked it for her to see, hoping she gets better soon. After grandma sees it, I'll return the flower."
Hearing the child's answer, the principal was deeply moved. He took the little girl's hand and picked two more large roses from the greenhouse, saying, "This one is for you because you're a sensible child; this one is for your grandma, thanking her for raising such a good child."
Who was this principal? He was the great educator and respected mentor of generations, Sukhomlinsky.
11. The Value of $20
A father returned home late from work, finding his five-year-old son waiting for him by the door. "Can I ask you a question?" "Dad, how much do you earn in an hour?" "If you really want to know, I earn $20 an hour." "Dad, can you lend me $10?" The father became very angry. About an hour later, he calmed down, realizing he might have been too harsh on his child... Maybe the child really wanted something, and besides, he rarely asked for money. So, the father entered his son's room and gave him $10. "Dad, thank you." The child happily pulled out some crumpled bills from under his pillow and started counting slowly. "Why do you already have money?" "Because it wasn't enough before, but now I have enough." The child answered, "Dad, now I have $20, can I buy one hour of your time? Please come home earlier tomorrow—I want to have dinner with you."
Time can be exchanged for money, but it can also be exchanged for family affection and happiness. Squeeze some time for your family because some things can't be bought with money.
12. The Story of Dividing Apples
A person's earliest education comes from the family, especially from the early education provided by mothers. An American psychologist conducted research on the influence of mothers on a person's life. He selected 50 successful individuals across the country who had achieved remarkable success in their respective fields and 50 individuals with criminal records, sending letters to both groups to inquire about the impact of their mothers.
Two responses mentioned the same event: dividing apples when they were young.
The convict wrote: "Mom asked my brother and me, 'Which one do you want?' My brother quickly said he wanted the biggest and reddest one. Mom glared at him and scolded him, 'Good children should learn to give the best to others and not always think of themselves.' Suddenly, I had an idea and changed my answer, 'Mom, I want the smallest one, and the biggest one is for my brother.' Mom was pleased, kissed me on the cheek, and rewarded me with the big red apple. I got what I wanted, and from then on, I learned to lie. Later, I also learned to fight, steal, and rob, resorting to any means to get what I wanted, until now, I've been sent to prison."
The famous individual wrote: "Both my brother and I wanted the big one. Mom said, 'I'll divide the lawn in front of the house into three parts, one for each of us. Whoever works the fastest and best will get the right to choose!' We competed to remove the grass, and I won the biggest apple. I'm very grateful to my mother; she taught me the simplest yet most important lesson: to get the best, you must strive to be the first."
The hands that rock the cradle are the hands that rule the world. Mothers are a child's first teacher; you can teach them to tell their first lie or teach them to be honest and always strive to be the best.
13. A Beautiful Story
There was a flat-nosed little boy who suffered brain damage at the age of two due to encephalitis, making learning very difficult for him. For example, while other children could write essays of two or three hundred words, he could only manage three or four lines. But even such an essay, he could still write beautifully.
During an essay class, the topic was "Wishes." He wrote very seriously, and the essay was very short, consisting of only three sentences: "I have two wishes. The first is that my mom smiles at me every day and says, 'You're so smart.' The second is that my teacher smiles at me every day and says, 'You're not stupid.'"
This essay deeply moved his teacher, who not only gave him the highest score but also read it aloud emotionally in class and wrote meticulously: "You're very smart, and your essay is very touching. Please don't worry; your mom will definitely like you, your teacher will definitely like you, and everyone will definitely like you."
Yes, intelligence may be impaired, but love will never fade. It remains vibrant, always casting shade, blooming bright flowers, and bearing fragrant fruits.
14. Errors Have Value
A student misread "还有后来人" (there will be successors) as "还有后人来" (successors will come). Everyone burst into laughter, and the serious atmosphere in the classroom disappeared instantly. What to do? However, the teacher remained calm and asked, "Classmates, why are you laughing? This student hasn't made a wrong meaning!" After her explanation, the classroom quieted down. She continued, "还有后来人的 meaning is there will be successors; 还有后人来的 meaning is successors will come." At this point, the classroom was silent. The teacher then kindly said, "Of course, the meaning being correct doesn't mean the student read it correctly. He misread it because he didn't see clearly. If he had looked carefully and read attentively, he wouldn't have made this unnecessary mistake. Let's invite him to read it again for everyone, okay?" The students applauded involuntarily. The student standing up read with heightened emotion.
15. The Value of Life
There was a boy living in an orphanage who often pessimistically asked the director, "What's the point of living for someone like me who has no one?"
The director always smiled without answering.
One day, the director handed the boy a stone and said, "Tomorrow morning, take this stone to the market and sell it, but don't actually sell it. Remember, no matter how much someone offers, absolutely don't sell it."
The next day, the boy took the stone to a corner of the market and unexpectedly found many people curious about his stone, offering increasingly higher prices. Back at the orphanage, the boy excitedly reported to the director, who smiled and asked him to take the stone to the gold market the next day. In the gold market, someone offered ten times the price from the previous day for the stone.
Finally, the director asked the boy to display the stone at the gem market. There, the stone's value increased another tenfold, and because the boy refused to sell it, it was proclaimed a "rare treasure."
Excitedly, the boy returned to the orphanage with the stone and told the director everything, asking why this happened.
The director didn't laugh but slowly said,
"The value of life is like this stone; in different environments, it has different meanings. A seemingly insignificant stone gains value because of your appreciation and reluctance to sell, becoming a rare treasure. Aren't you just like this stone? As long as you value yourself and cherish yourself, life