Son was a bright but mischievous student who loved to talk. During class, instead of focusing on the lesson, he kept turning from side to side, whispering and chatting with his classmates. His constant talking distracted the entire row and even caused a few students to get scolded along with him. Although Son found it fun, the others were clearly annoyed.
One day, Son became especially loud. After several warnings that he completely ignored, the teacher paused her lesson and looked directly at him. The room fell silent as she decided to give him a lesson he would never forget. She calmly asked, “Son, how many ears do you have?”
He answered, “Two ears.”“How many eyes?”
“Two eyes.”
“And how many mouths?”
“Just one, ma’am.”
The teacher smiled gently and leaned forward. “Then tell me,” she said, “why do you think people have two eyes, two ears, but only one mouth?” Son froze, confused. After a moment, he muttered, “I… I don’t know. I guess that’s just how people are made.” The class burst into quiet giggles, and Son’s face turned bright red.
The teacher continued in a calm, warm voice. “Think carefully, Son. What do we use our eyes for?”
“To see,” he whispered.
“And our ears?”
“To listen.”
“And our mouth?”
“To talk.”
She nodded and said, “Exactly. People have two eyes so they can observe more, two ears so they can listen more, and only one mouth so they speak less. You are meant to look twice as much, listen twice as much, and talk only when you truly need to.” Her words echoed through the quiet classroom.
Son felt the message sink in. His cheeks were burning as he lowered his head. After a moment, he said softly but clearly, “I promise I won’t talk during class anymore.” The teacher smiled, and the lesson continued, but Son never forgot that moment.