The year was 1939. The place was
Cherokee School. The Teacher name was Ms. Brent who was the
Librarian. I was in the 3rd grade at the time. It was
a class where we learned such things as.....manners, music appreciation,
and of course, how to use the library. I know how children can
be so cruel, (while now really meaning to be). The third grade
is an age when we begin to see faults in others....and love to make
fun of each others faults. We give nick-names to our classmates
such as fatty, skinny, bean pole, bucky beaver, pug nose, and the
list just goes on and on. If there was a boy by the name of
George we would say, Georgy porgy, puddin'n pie, kissed the girls
and make them cry. Oh, we would have such a great time without
realizing the hurt that it might be causing.
There was a boy in my
class who was always being teased about his big feet. And he
did have some big feet for a boy that age. I would say he was
probably wearing a size "12" shoe already. We would point at
his big feet, referring to them as ski's or snow shoes. But
David was a mild mannered boy and took it all in stride. We
knew it bothered him but we all were having such great fun.
Ms. Brent got wind of the big foot situation and did such a great
thing to turn it around for David. One day, after noon recess,
our first class was library with Ms. Brent. She called David
to her desk and asked him to deliver a note to the principal and wait
for an answer. Then after David left the room, Ms. Brent began
to tell us a story and it went like this.....
Once upon a time, the
different birds in the world would get together early in the
morning and as they ate their breakfast, they would chirp about all
the things that had happened to them and their family during the previous
day. And at noon time, they would get together again for their
noon meal and chirp some more. There was one bird, the Meadow
Lark, who was different than them. He had big feet. All
the other birds would make fun of his big feet, until the Lark began
to build his nest on the ground in the grass of the meadows.
That way he could slip his big feet under the grass so when other
birds would fly over they could not see his big feet.
Then one day
it happen. There was a great forest fire broke out. All
the birds began to chirp furiously because their nests of babies and
eggs would surely be burned up.
But the Meadow Lark came to
the rescue. He would fly to the various nests and wrap his big
feet around the babies and the eggs and fly them into a safe place.
The Lark was now a hero. And no more did the other birds make
fun of his beg feet, for they realized that God had made the Lark
that way with his big feet for a purpose. The class became very
quiet, for we all knew of whom she was speaking about. Then
after a long silence, Ms. brent said, "as all you may have surely
noticed, David has big feet. God made him that way. Lets
be kind to David." As far as I can remember, I never again ever
heard anyione in the class tease David about his big feet.
And the
Bottom Line......
Let's keep this wonderful story, told by a Turley
Cherokee School Teacher, alive. Tell this story to your children
when the time is appropriate.
Story told
by Robert Cooper, Sr., as told to him by his 3rd grade teacher, Ms.
Brent. If you have a printer and would like to print this story,
go to top of the page and click the printer icon were it says to print
this story.
