Here I am at home again, blogging about my experience with tutoring 4th grader P.J. I came fiercely prepared today; I had a presentation on Persia, a video, a series of questions, and an arsenal of information ready to attack any questions he might have. We commenced the lesson with vim, he was quite inquisitive and as my presentation had feature prominently a map of the world he asked many questions regarding the origin of the human species, how humans had traversed the globe and what it was like before any humans existed. Eventually, I was able to fully present my materials and yet I feel that I have failed once more in bolstering any interest or excitement in him. I suppose that what I had chosen might've been too deep, though it was a story already supplied in the issued textbook. It was a story adapted from the 13th century poet, Rumi. It is entitled The Secret Message, and like all his works it carries with it a very spiritual message. Namely, that the protagonist of the story, an encaged parrot, was truly free and alive when he was released from his golden cage and ornate home to fly among his comrades in the forest. One can easily see the analogy with modern consumerism and its 'gilded cage' of credit and finance, which ultimately serves to disenfranchise the human spirit and keep it shackled down to materiality. Just like the parrot, our souls are meant to soar free among the stars. I would like to reiterate, this story was provided by his issued textbook.
No comments:
Post a Comment