How to Split Three Pieces of Cookies Among Four Children

It’s, NOT going to, work out, evenly, you do, realize that, don’t you???  Translated…

My son took his wife and daughter home for the holidays, the two of us, mother and daughter-in-law, took care of the items to offer to the ancestors in the kitchen, as we busied ourselves, we’d, carried on in conversations.  My daughter-in-law told me one day she went to pick up her child, the teacher commended her on how well she’d taught her daughter.

And this, was what happened: one day, the teacher was sharing the snacks with the class, there were, three pieces left, and so, she’d told the children to raise up their hands if they wanted more, then, four students raised up their hands (the strawberry cookies were my granddaughter’s favorite, so she’d, raised her hand too).  The teacher had the four young children, to discuss the matter, to see how they can, split up the three pieces amongst themselves.  The four children made a small circle, looked at one another, smiled, not knowing what to do, suddenly, my young granddaughter started, she’d said, “I’m out, you three can have the cookies”.

illustration from UDN.com

 

At that very moment, the teacher commended my young granddaughter, and told the three other students, to thank her for her kindness, and that they need to, take her actions as a model too, remembering what others had, given to you, that if there’s, a chance, they should, give to others as well.  My daughter-in-law praised the teacher, to use the opportunity to teach the important values to the class, to help them acquire that heart of, gratitude.

As I’d heard up to here, I’d felt, that my granddaughter was, truly, amazing, at such a young age, she’d known, how to give, and, commended my daughter-in-law, for training her young well.  She’d smiled and told me, that the teachers at the kindergarten were the ones who are, truly, amazing, teaching the concepts, to help the kids reach their potentials, learning through laughing together, focusing on the problem-solving skills, that the instructor managed the classroom perfectly.

She’d continued, that a few days later, her daughter told her, that the teacher gave out an extra cookie in class, that it was, to make up for the last time to the rest of the class, Clearly, the teacher was, trying to, help children internalize the values of “losing doesn’t necessarily mean losing” that you actually “gain more by giving”.  This instructor was, truly putting all her heart, mind, and soul into teaching the young children, to help children learn, to interact well with other students in the class.

Later, I’d, asked this question to my other two granddaughters, the eldest in elementary school answered without much thought, “use rock, paper, scissors to decide, the one who’d lost is out”, my second granddaughter, who is also, in her second year of kindergarten said, “the four can share!  That way, everybody gets some.”, it seems, that each child has a different way of thought, and all of their answers are, correct.

Surely, there’s, not just, ONE right answer to the questions, one way to solve a problem, through discussion, communication, finding a solution everybody can live with, then that, is all that mattered.  How to split up three pieces of cookies?  Pressing the luck also, works too, the willingness to gamble, to accept the losses; and, splitting it up evenly works wonder too, everybody gets some.  But, my young granddaughter’s, giving up even though she didn’t want to, touched me the most, and it’d, made me, proud.

And so, from this, there are, many right solutions, to a problem, it all depends on the perspectives, and, this young child had, internalized the values her mother had, taught to her from their daily interactions, which showed how important it is, for the parents, to instill the right kinds of values into their young, through the day-to-day ordinary, interactions that they share.