A wise teacher

From the movie, Queen of Katwe

Katwe is a very, very poor town in Uganda. Uganda is in Africa. There was a teacher in Katwe who wanted to help the poor children there.  He was a wise teacher.  He taught the children math. He taught them English.  But this is not why he was wise.  
     He was wise because he taught the children to think.  How?  He taught them how to play chess [बुद्धीबळ]. 

Photo: Michat Parzuchowski

His children learned to play chess very well.  One day there was a competition [स्पर्धा].  His children would play chess against children who were very rich and went to a very good school.  The competition was important.  If his children did well, it would help him get money from rich organizations to build a school in Katwe. But the teacher saw that his children were afraid that they would fail [अयशस्वी होणे].  So he told them this story:
 

Photo: Alexandru Rotariu

I saw a skinny [हाडकुळा] dog.  The dog was hungry. He saw a cat and started to chase [पाठलाग करणे] the cat over, under, and around all the buildings . . . down the street and up the street!  And then the cat was gone!
     The dog fell on the ground because he was so tired [थकल्यासारखे].  I said to the dog, "What happened?!  You were so hungry and you let the cat get away!"
     The dog said, "The problem is, I was only running for a meal [जेवण]. That cat was running for her life!"

     The teacher told the children that they must not be afraid!  They must be strong and "run hard" to win . . . because for them winning was not just a game, it was their life.


    And do you know the end of the story?  One of his students, named Fiona, is now one of the best chess players in the world.  The teacher taught her to play when she was 9. Now she is 19.  Because of her success she has been able to help her family, her town and her country!




Wisdom:  
You could say that the teacher was a wise man.  How was he wise?  What did he do that made him wise?