The Jungle School

Everyone has a different talent

Once upon a time, in a beautiful jungle, the animals decided to start a school for their young ones.

They wanted every animal to become smart, strong and successful. So, they created a school with four main subjects: running, swimming, climbing and flying.

All the animals were expected to learn every subject.

A duck, a rabbit, a squirrel and an eagle joined the school.

The duck was an excellent swimmer. She could swim across the river faster than anyone else. But when it came to running, she was very slow. She also struggled with climbing trees and flying.

The rabbit was the fastest runner in the school. Nobody could beat him in a race. However, he was poor at swimming and could not climb trees.

The squirrel was an expert at climbing trees. She could jump from one branch to another with great speed. But she found swimming difficult, and she was not very good at flying.

The eagle was a wonderful flyer. He could fly higher and faster than all the other animals. But he was not interested in running or swimming, and he did not enjoy climbing trees.

The school teachers were not happy with these differences. They believed that every student should score well in every subject.

So, they made all the animals practise the subjects they were weak in.

The duck spent so much time practising running and climbing that she became tired. She could no longer swim as well as before.

The rabbit worked hard at swimming but became frustrated because he could not perform like the duck.

The squirrel was forced to spend hours learning to swim instead of developing her climbing skills.

The eagle was asked to spend more time running on the ground. He became weaker at flying because he was not given enough time to practise what he did best.

At the end of the year, the school announced the results. The animals were judged mainly by their overall marks.

Nobody was recognised for their special talents.

The teachers had tried to make every animal equally good at everything, but in the process, they had failed to develop what made each one special.

One day, an old owl visited the school. After watching the students, he asked the teachers a simple question:

"Why are you trying to make every animal the same? Why don't you help each one become better at what they are naturally good at?"

The teachers had no answer.

The owl continued, "A duck is born to swim, a rabbit is built to run, a squirrel is gifted at climbing, and an eagle is made to fly. Each has a different ability. Instead of comparing them, help them discover and develop their strengths."

The teachers finally understood their mistake.

From that day onwards, the school changed its approach. Every animal was encouraged to develop its natural abilities while also learning the basic skills needed in life.

The jungle school became a better place, where every student was valued for who they were and what they could do.