The Two Second Rule

I had waited nearly two years for it to happen, for the unexpected ‘drop onto the floor’ event....It was a relief when it did, an example of problem solving at its best. The dough had been kneaded by the enthusiastic, confident, young lady from (“No, it’s Not. It’s Carbon Dioxide.”Dec. 19/12)  Now, it was her turn to knead. Why had she dropped it?

She had been looking around the room as she worked the dough not paying close attention to it or its close proximity to the edge of the table. ... Then it happened... She attempted to retrieve the dough from the floor as quickly as it had fallen, hoping, that no one had seen it fall. ... Could it still be O.K. to use?...  It had not been on the carpet that long. ... (One/two second rule?) ... Perhaps, it was still usable. ... Her quick action, though, was a remarkable response to an unexpected departure from our kneading routine. I waited to see what the students would do next. ... Everyone at the kneading table was quiet... What were they thinking? ... More importantly, what was she thinking?... Questions were asked to determine the students’ knowledge of what they had seen, why it had happened and the next step. ... A new twist on our weekly routine was now a glaring predicament for the assembled group.

Life throws each and every one of us the unexpected, the shocking, from time to time. ...What we had here was a dilemma, a perfect one for children to solve. ... Posing the difficult questions helped the group come to the conclusion that making more dough was the only option left open to them if we were to have a lesson next week. ... Time was at a premium, however. ... We had none to spare. Recess was ten minutes away with some students leaving to go to another class when the break was finished. ...We could not wait.

The crestfallen student took the ‘fallen dough’ to Mary, explaining what had happened, why it had happened and what she planned to do about it. The student realized the whole process would have to begin again at a much quickened pace while enlisting the help of other students who had already been ‘at the table’ that morning but whose academic work was done and could return to help make a new batch of dough. ... 

Volunteers were in plentiful supply. ...  No request was refused. ... The young lady, whose shy almost reclusive demeanour had brought us to this place, now rose to the challenge to fix the problem she had created. ... Delegating each job was now hers to determine. In her enthusiasm, however, she felt compelled to adopt a ‘do-it-all’ approach with her, doing it all. (She was reminded that this was a group effort and anyone of us could have dropped the dough onto the floor.) Eventually, the fast paced ‘class production' was completed in record time. ... The dough was made. ... The recess bell rang.

The young lady had been transformed, empowered, made more confident and self-assured.  As she left for recess, she turned to me and smiled. Months earlier, upon meeting her, she could not, would not look at me. I was a stranger to her back then. Today, I was her friend. We had been through the trenches. ... She saw how discussion, assessment, solution and action had turned a seeming insurmountable problem into just another of life’s challenges. ... We sighed. ... We laughed and parted for the day. ... Another  great moment in history had passed!