Theos-Talk Archives (May 1997 Message tl00126)

Due to decreasing participation of the younger generation, the
Theosophical Society have decided to devote its energy to running a
school for children.  One of the young chela, a ten year old boy, was
finding fifth grade math to be the challenge of his life. Theosophy? A
piece of cake. Science? No big deal.  Psychology? Ha! Give me a
break...but MATH? It was devastating! To not only him, but to his two
mentors, too! And not that they weren't doing everything and anything to
help him...Private tutors, peer assistance, CD-Roms, Textbooks, even
HYPNOSIS! Nothing worked.

Finally, at the insistence of a visiting theosophist, they decided to
enroll their student in another school. Not just ANY school, but a
Catholic school. Nuns. Weekly mass. The whole shootin' match.

Well, the first day of school finally arrived, and dressed in his
salt-and-pepper cords and white wool dress shirt and blue cardigan
sweater, the youngster ventured out into the great unknown.  His elder
theosophists were convinced they were doing the right thing.

They were there waiting for their student when he returned to the TS
school.  And when he walked in with a stern, focused and very determined
expression on his face, they hoped they had made the right choice. He
walked right past them and went straight to his dorm - and quietly
closed the door.

For nearly two hours he toiled away in his room - with math books strewn
about his desk and the surrounding floor. He only emerged long enough to
eat, and after quickly cleaning his plate, he went straight back to his
room, closed the door, and worked feverishly at his studies until
bedtime. This pattern continued ceaselessly until it was time for the
first quarter report card.

After school, the chela walked into the mentors' dining room with his
report card, unopened, in his hand. Without a word, he dropped the
envelope on the dinner table and went straight to his room. His mentors
were petrified. What lay inside the envelope? Success? Failure? DOOM?!?

Patiently, cautiously one mentor opened the letter, and to her
amazement, she saw a bright red "A" under the subject, MATH. Overjoyed,
she and her fellow theosophist rushed into their student's room,
thrilled at his remarkable progress!

"Was it the nuns that did it?", one asked. The boy only shook his head
and said, "No."

"Was it the one-on-one tutoring? The peer-mentoring?", asked the other.
Again, the boy shrugged, "No."

"The textbooks? The teacher? The curriculum?", asked the first one.

"Nope," said the chela. "It was all very clear to me from the very first
day of Catholic school."

"How so?", asked the second one.

"When I walked into the lobby, and I saw that guy they'd nailed to the
 plus sign, I knew they meant business!"