Teaching Kindness and forgiveness!

The teacher of an elementary school told the children of the class: Tomorrow, each of them should take a plastic bag and put potatoes in it for the number of people they dislike and bring them to school.

The next day, the children came to school with plastic bags; some had 2, some had 3, and some had 5 potatoes in their bags. The teacher told the children to carry the plastic bag wherever they went for a week.

After a week, the game was finally over, and the children were relieved. The teacher asked the children, How did you feel about carrying potatoes for a week?

The children complained that they had to carry smelly and heavy potatoes with them everywhere. Then the teacher explained the main meaning of this game as follows: This is just like the situation where you hold grudges against people you don’t like in your heart and carry them everywhere with you, and the stench of resentment and hatred hurts your heart. When you can’t carry the bad smell of potatoes for just one week, so how are you going to tolerate the stench of hatred in your heart for the rest of your life?

Overall, this exercise effectively teaches the importance of forgiveness, empathy, and emotional well-being in a manner that is relatable and memorable. It demonstrates the power of experiential learning in imparting life lessons, as the children directly experience the physical and emotional effects of their actions. This approach not only engages the children but also provides a practical understanding that can potentially influence their behaviors and attitudes in the long term.