A teacher teaching Maths to seven-year-old Arnav asked him, "If I give you
one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you
have?"Within a few seconds Arnav replied confidently, "Four!"
The dismayed teacher was expecting an effortless correct answer (three).
She was disappointed. "Maybe the child did not listen properly," she
thought. She repeated, "Arnav, listen carefully. If I give you one apple
and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?"
Arnav had seen the disappointment on his teacher's face. He calculated
again on his fingers. But within him he was also searching for the answer
that will make the teacher happy. His search for the answer was not for the
correct one, but the one that will make his teacher happy. This time
hesitatingly he replied, "Four..."
The disappointment stayed on the teacher's face. She remembered that Arnav
liked strawberries. She thought maybe he doesn't like apples and that is
making him loose focus. This time with an exaggerated excitement and
twinkling in her eyes she asked, "If I give you one strawberry and one
strawberry and one strawberry, then how many you will have?"
Seeing the teacher happy, young Arnav calculated on his fingers again.
There was no pressure on him, but a little on the teacher. She wanted her
new approach to succeed. With a hesitating smile young Arnav enquired,
"Three?"
The teacher now had a victorious smile. Her approach had succeeded. She
wanted to congratulate herself. But one last thing remained. Once again she
asked him, "Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple
how many will you have?"
Promptly Arnav answered, "Four!"
The teacher was aghast. "How Arnav, how?" she demanded in a little stern
and irritated voice.
In a voice that was low and hesitating young Arnav replied, "Because I
already have one apple in my bag."
"When someone gives you an answer that is different from what you expect
don't think they are wrong. There maybe an angle that you have not
understood at all. You will have to listen and understand, but never listen
with a predetermined notion."
Sourabh
CAclubindia
