A Blog by Chicken Wrangler Sara
My mom recently gave me a copy of the children’s book Chicken Little to add to my collections of chickens and children’s books.
In case you are not familiar with the story Chicken Little is out in the farm yard one day when an acorn fell on her head. She is convinced the sky is falling and she runs to tell the king. On her way she meets Henny Penny, Cocky Locky, Ducky Wucky, Goosey Loosey, and Turkey Lurkey. The whole brood is headed for the castle when they run into Foxy Woxy who convinces them to follow him on a “shortcut.” He leads them into a cave with the most impure of motives. The whole crew causes a ruckus and runs out of the cave and back to the farm yard. The excitement has completely overshadowed the original dilemma and Chicken Little returns to pecking at corn in the farmyard – blissfully unconcerned about the condition of the sky.
I have thought about Chicken Little a great deal recently.
The school where I teach has undergone some financial difficulties in the last few years. I believe most private schools face this problem at some point. The reaction of the staff has been interesting to watch. Some have continued to do their job knowing that the students deserve their best regardless of what the future holds. Others have adopted the Chicken Little philosophy of “the sky is falling.” Their panic spread to some of the students and parents leading to an uncomfortable period of time.
I love my job as music teacher and strive to have fun with all my classes even if it will only be for a short time. I tried to spread this positive outlook to the faculty and staff as best I could and eventually the year came to an end.
I believe there are parallels in the reporting of current events today. I’ve decided to approach media news the way I do my position at school. I will do my best to enjoy life regardless of the circumstances. Perhaps I will follow Chicken Littles example at the end of the story and look for corn in my own farmyard.
Wow! Sara, this is exactly what we need. You are a voice for reason.
…and perhaps self-preservation. It takes a lot of energy to live in a constant state of panic. :-)