Forest School. Should knowledge be accessible to all? It seems reasonable. But at times you will find some animals who want to keep knowledge only for themselves. If only they knew how much trouble their haughtiness could bring.
Make your child the main character. Replace this (_____) with your child’s name.
Forest School
In a deep forest, there lived a small, fluffy fox cub.
Every morning, as usual, he went to school.
Do you know the name of this funny creature? You would never guess!
His name was _____. He was very nice, and he loved doing good deeds.
As he trotted to the Fox School, a curious hedgehog noticed him on the way.
He caught up with _____ and asked him to stop for a while.
“What do you want, hedgehog?” asked the fox
“I want to study. Would you help me get into your school?”
“You know, only foxes can go to our school. And you are not a fox, so that’s why you cannot go there.”
“But there are no other schools in the neighborhood. So, can you help me?”
“Oh, I don’t know my spiky friend. What should we say to the director? What if he becomes annoyed and kicks me out of school?”
“Hmm… You are probably right, _____. Sorry for bothering you…”
The hedgehog went home, but _____ could easily see his heart was broken.
He called after him, “Wait! I’ll ask the director, What if he agrees?”
The hedgehog took a seat on the school porch and waited.
_____ went into the director’s office and said.
“Hello, Mister Director! Is it possible to bring pupils to our school?”
“Why, sure! What a question! Which forest does this fox come from?”
“Hmm… It is not a fox… It is a hedgehog. But believe me, he is so nice!”
“Well, it doesn’t matter how nice he is. You know, _____, we’ve got very strict rules here.”
“I know. But maybe, as an exception, you could give him a chance?”
“What example would I set for the others if I violate the rules? Sorry, _____, I can’t help you.”
_____ returned to the hedgehog and told him the sad news. ” I’m sorry, Hedgehog…”
The friends began to think over the situation.
In a moment, _____ jumped up and exclaimed, “Listen, Hedgehog, why can’t I teach you?”
“Wow! Why not? What are you going to teach me?”
Well, to start with, I’ll teach you how to count. Look, two plus three equals five.”
At that moment, a bear cub was passing by, and he wondered what was going on.
“Hey, Foxy, will you teach me something, too?”
“Easy-peasy! There are 365 days in a year, but sometimes we have 366.”
A badger could not resist gaining some knowledge, either. “What about me? I want to learn something, too!”
“I can tell you that the highest mountain in the world is mount, Everest. It is 8848m tall.”
“Wow, holy cow!” the animals gasped with surprise. Everyone was absolutely delighted.
A large number of animals gathered around the fox, all craving for knowledge.
The director was watching them from his window. “So many animals that are eager to learn. Who would have thought of it?”
“I feel embarrassed to even face the children. And it is all due to my haughtiness…”
In the meantime, _____ kept on teaching, “…since the Earth is spinning, it is nighttime on one side and daytime on the other.”
Suddenly, the director came outside. “I am sorry to interrupt your lesson, _____, but I have to tell you something important.”
“I was not right, boys and girls, in thinking that I would set a bad example to our pupils if I allowed all animals into our school.”
Looking at all of you, I realize that I was already setting a bad example. The whole forest thinks that foxes are arrogant. And this is not true!”
“From now on, anyone who feels like it can go to this school!”
“Really? _____ asked with delight. “So, the hedgehog can come to our school now?”
“Not only the hedgehog but also the badger, and anybody else who wants to come.”
“But we may have some trouble…?”
“What trouble? Don’t we have enough space for all?”
“No, _____. I mean, we need to select a new name for our school.”
“Oh, well… If it is not the Fox school anymore, then we can call it… the Forest school!”
“What a splendid name! Do you like it, kids?”
“Yessss!” they exclaimed as one.
And the next morning, _____ and the hedgehog went to school together. Thanks to _____, knowledge became accessible to all.
