Teaching via Object Lessons
A friend just sent me a very interesting, and highly entertaining, anecdote about how someone dealt with a line jumper while waiting for a bus. Read about it here: Dealing with a Queue JumperThat story reminded me of one of my own experiences teaching someone via an object lesson.
My wife and I had driven to Walmart for a quick errand. I was drinking a can of Coke and she only needed one item, so I waited in the car. While finishing the Coke, I noticed two men sitting on a bench near the store entrance, both smoking.
As I watched, one of them flicked his cigarette butt down the sidewalk. Just 3-4 feet away sat a clearly marked container for disposing of cigarettes. I drank my last swallow of Coke and then had a sudden flash of insight. Getting out of the car, carrying my empty can, I started towards the store.
The two men were still sitting on the bench talking. Stepping up on the sidewalk, I crushed the can in my hand and pitched it off to the side. The can skittered along the concrete, making quite a bit of racket. The men looked up at the noise, but I intentionally avoided making eye contact.
Continuing on into the store, I turned right into the film processing area, allowing me to view the men through the store's front window. As I watched, it was obvious they were talking about what had just happened. One of them pointed to the can, both were very animated and the other just shook his head.
I then walked back out the exit, down the sidewalk and picked up my can. Walking towards the two men, I asked, "Did you notice me toss this can down the sidewalk?" They both nodded, one of them responding, "Yes, one of the strangest things I've ever seen."
Then I stepped up to the waste receptacle and threw my can away. Turning back to them I said, "Well, you know there's a cigarette disposal can over there. And just a few minutes ago I thought the same thing when you flicked that butt away. Why is it any different?"
The man looked like I had asked him to calculate Pi to the Nth digit. Muttering, "I never thought about it that way", he stood up, picked up the butt and disposed of it properly.
Now, did I cause any permanent change in his, or his friend's, behavior? I'll never know. But at least I caused him to stop and think about it. And, perhaps, maybe the object lesson took root.
Labels: Littering
posted by subbob @ 8:20 AM
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