I awoke early, as I often did, just before sunrise to walk by the ocean’s edge and greet the new day. As I moved through the misty dawn, I focused on a faint, faraway movement. I saw a boy, bending and reaching and waving his arms – dancing on the beach, no doubt in celebration of the perfect day soon to begin.
As I approached, I sadly realized that he was not dancing, but rather bending to sift through the debris left by the night’s tide, stopping now and then to pick up a starfish and then standing, to heave it back into the sea. I asked the boy the purpose of the effort. “The tide has washed the starfish onto the beach and they cannot return to the sea by themselves,” he replied. “When the sun rises, they will die, unless I throw them back to the sea.”
I looked at the vast expanse of beach, stretching in both directions. Starfish littered the shore in numbers beyond calculation. the hopelessness of the boy’s plan became clear to me and I pointed out, “But there are more starfish on this beach than you can ever save before the sun is up. Surely you cannot expect to make a difference.”
He paused briefly to consider my words, bent to pick up a starfish and threw it as far as possible. Turning to me he simply said, “I made a difference to that one.”
6 responses so far ↓
1
Laurie
// Aug 24, 2005 at 4:04 pm
What magical timing of your post. I was thinking of this story recently and wanted to find it again as I am wading into the world of becoming a foster parent with hopes of adopting a second daughter and thought of how this story fits where I am at right now. Thanks!
2
Administrator
// Aug 24, 2005 at 7:53 pm
Hi, Laurie – thanks for stopping in to tell me about this. Gee… what hopes and dreams you must have as you explore this new venture. I’m glad that we share an appreciation of this story and its message.
3
Michele
// Aug 24, 2005 at 9:10 pm
What a wonderful story! A perfect illustration of the futility we can sometimes feel as educators, but a reminder of the reason to stay our course! Do you know who authored it?
4
Administrator
// Aug 25, 2005 at 2:13 am
Hi, Michele, glad to hear from you. I do believe the story is part of a book titled The Star Thrower by Loren Eisley. I just did a quick Google search, and this is what I came up with:
It was inspired by the writing of Loren Eiseley. Eiseley was a very special person because he combined the best of two cultures. He was a scientist and a poet. And from those two perspectives he wrote insightfully and beautifully about the world and our role in it.
Sorta fits us as participants in this class… but I didn’t realize that till you asked the question. Thanks!
5
Chuck
// Aug 26, 2005 at 2:08 am
Hello Sheila,
Someone shared that story with me a few years ago and found it delightful. I am sure that it has not occurred to me to think about it since then. I am glad that you shared it with us.
6
Administrator
// Aug 26, 2005 at 2:50 am
Hi, Chuck – thanks for taking the time to share this with me. As TVIs, we are so often isolated (you know this well!) and sometimes, it helps to remember that we’re not alone, and that yes – we can make a difference.