Dalam beberapa detik Amar menjawab dengan yakin, "Empat!"
Guru yang kecewa mengharapkan jawaban yang mudah, "pasti tiga" . Dia kecewa. "Mungkin anak tidak mendengarkan dengan baik." - Pikirnya.
Ulangi, "Amar, mendengarkan dengan seksama. Jika saya memberi Anda satu apel dan satu apel dan satu apel, berapa banyak apel yang akan Anda miliki? "
Amar telah melihat kekecewaan di wajah gurunya. Dia menghitung lagi pada jari-jarinya. Tapi dalam dirinya ia juga mencari jawaban yang akan membuat guru bahagia. Usahanya mencari jawabannya bukan karena salah, tapi satu yang akan membuat gurunya senang.
Kali ini ragu-ragu ia menjawab, "Empat."
Kekecewaan tinggal di wajah guru. Dia ingat bahwa Amar menyukai stroberi.
Dia pikir mungkin dia tidak suka apel dan yang membuatnya kehilangan fokus.
Kali ini dengan kegembiraan berlebihan dan sekejap di matanya dia bertanya, "Jika saya memberi Anda satu strawberry dan satu strawberry dan satu strawberry, maka berapa banyak Anda akan memiliki?"
Melihat guru bahagia, Amar menghitung jari-jarinya lagi. Tidak ada tekanan pada dirinya, tapi sedikit . Dia ingin pendekatan baru agar berhasil.
Dengan senyum ragu Amar menjawab, "Tiga?"
Guru sekarang memiliki senyum kemenangan. Pendekatannya berhasil. Dia ingin mengucapkan selamat kepada dirinya.
Tapi satu hal terakhir. Sekali lagi ia bertanya, "Sekarang jika saya memberi Anda satu apel dan satu apel dan satu apel lebih berapa banyak yang akan Anda miliki?"
Segera Amar menjawab, "Empat!"
Guru terperanjat. "Bagaimana Amar, bagaimana?" Ia menuntut dengan suara tegas.
Dengan suara yang rendah dan ragu-ragu Amar itu menjawab, "Karena aku sudah memiliki satu apel di tas saya."
ENGLISH VERSION
Student Counting Apples
A teacher teaching Maths to seven-year-old Amar asked him,
“If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you
have?”
Within a few seconds Amar 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, “Amar, listen carefully. If I give you one
apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?”
Amar 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 Amar 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 Amar 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 Amar replied, “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 Amar answered, “Four!”
The teacher was aghast. “How Amar, how?” she demanded in a
little stern and irritated voice.
In a voice that was low and hesitating young Amar replied,
“Because I already have one apple in my bag.”