by Kay Heitsch
"The way we choose to respond when others make mistakes can cause them to feel ashamed or can allow them to remember our kindness and share our stories with future generations." -- Michelle Sedas
When I read the above quote, I couldn't help but think of Doris.* Doris was a little lady who lived in the memory care unit. She had been a science teacher by profession, but she also was a very creative person. All around her room were dolls that she had made. They were the most unique dolls I'd ever seen; each was very different from the other.
From what I gathered from talking to Doris, she'd taken a class in doll making. While I was in her room, she took one of the dolls out of the case to show me. She said that this was the first doll she had ever made. This doll was very unusual with fine artwork. The ceramic skirt was made of delicate ruffles. I was amazed that anyone could do such unique work.
As Doris was holding the doll very carefully, she turned the doll so that I could see a slight break in one of the ruffles on the skirt. Then she said, "Would you like me to tell you about this?" Of course, I was curious to know what happened. Doris noted that on the way to class, she bumped the side of the skirt. She said she was devastated and almost didn't go to art class at all.
When it came to her turn to show the doll to the teacher, she had to point out the skirt's break. Doris felt for sure that the doll would be rejected because of it. Much to her surprise, the teacher told her she was just going to ignore this break and grade the doll on the other good qualities it had. Doris said this remark and attitude from the teacher changed her life. Doris said she knew if that teacher hadn't forgiven that tiny mistake, she would never have made the rest of the dolls.
The quote at the beginning expresses what happened to Doris. This teacher could have made Doris feel ashamed by her mistake. But because of her willingness to ignore the error, Doris was sharing her kindness to the next generation.
*Name has been changed.
1 comment:
This is such a great story Kay and I'm glad you wrote it. I had a teacher in elementary school who was the complete opposite of Doris, and many impressionable children carried the scars of her shaming words into their adult lives. Imagine what the world would be like if it were filled with more people like Doris...
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