Once a little boy went to school.
One morning
The teacher said:
“Today we are going to make a picture.”
“Good!” thought the little boy.
He liked to make all kinds;
Lions and tigers,
Chickens and cows,
Trains and boats;
And he took out his box of crayons
And began to draw.
But the teacher said, “Wait!”
“It is not time to begin!”
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
“Now,” said the teacher,
“We are going to make flowers.”
“Good!” thought the little boy,
He liked to make beautiful ones
With his pink and orange and blue crayons.
But the teacher said “Wait!”
“And I will show you how.”
And it was red, with a green stem.
“There,” said the teacher,
“Now you may begin.”
The little boy looked at his teacher’s flower
Then he looked at his own flower.
He liked his flower better than the teacher’s
But he did not say this.
He just turned his paper over,
And made a flower like the teacher’s.
It was red, with a green stem.
On another day
The teacher said:
“Today we are going to make something with clay.”
“Good!” thought the little boy;
He liked clay.
He could make all kinds of things with clay:
Snakes and snowmen,
Elephants and mice,
Cars and trucks
And he began to pull and pinch
His ball of clay.
But the teacher said, “Wait!”
“It is not time to begin!”
And she waited until everyone looked ready.
“Now,” said the teacher,
“We are going to make a dish.”
“Good!” thought the little boy,
He liked to make dishes.
And he began to make some
That were all shapes and sizes.
But the teacher said “Wait!”
“And I will show you how.”
And she showed everyone how to make
One deep dish.
“There,” said the teacher,
“Now you may begin.”
The little boy looked at the teacher’s dish;
Then he looked at his own.
He liked his better than the teacher’s
But he did not say this.
He just rolled his clay into a big ball again
And made a dish like the teacher’s.
It was a deep dish.
And pretty soon
The little boy learned to wait,
And to watch
And to make things just like the teacher.
And pretty soon
He didn’t make things of his own anymore.
Then it happened
That the little boy and his family
Moved to another house,
In another city,
And the little boy
Had to go to another school.
The teacher said:
“Today we are going to make a picture.”
“Good!” thought the little boy.
And he waited for the teacher
To tell what to do.
But the teacher didn’t say anything.
She just walked around the room.
When she came to the little boy
She asked, “Don’t you want to make a picture?”
“Yes,” said the little boy.
“What are we going to make?”
“I don’t know until you make it,” said the teacher.
“How shall I make it?” asked the little boy.
“Why, anyway you like,” said the teacher.
“And any color?” asked the little boy.
“Any color,” said the teacher.
And he began to make a red flower with a green stem. “
~Helen Buckley, The Little Boy
“We have a narrow definition of what constitutes being smart that leaves people out and wounds people’s sense of self.
Way back in 2007, I had written an article in Deccan Herald titled : Think out of the Box. I remembered that piece when I saw the above forward.
16 comments
I really loved how you explained that thinking differently is actually about breaking down the walls we build in our own heads. It feels so true that we stick to what we know just because it feels safe, even when we want to come up with new ideas. Your point about unlearning old habits was my favorite part because it showed me that I need to let go of old ways before I can find better ones.
I really liked what you have written about thinking out of the box. Teachers do not encourage individual thinking. The Indian education system is based on textbook and notebook learning by rote. Few schools are following this, and I hope that soon all schools will let kids learn and create themselves rather than copy from the textbook or the blackboard.
I do have the nature of thinking out of box… I dont believe in being sereotyped. And I like more those schools which are actually taking initiatives to bring the real talent of students beyond the books. Text books are a need but not the whole world.
This is the primary reason, our education system has been called only rote learning. The practical skills for innovation, critical thinking and analysis remain missing. Young children should be left to explore and be guided in that process.
I loved this . It’s such a powerful reminder that real creativity often comes when we stop copying instructions and start trusting our own vision. Appreciate you for urging us to break out of routines and make something truly ours
Helen Buckley’s The Little Boy is a gentle but piercing critique of how schooling often crushes creativity. Through a simple narrative, the poem reveals how children slowly learn to replace imagination with imitation. Its ending is quietly heartbreaking—a reminder that when we teach children to follow instead of create, we dim the very spark that makes them unique. Lovely read.
It is true that geniuses and entrepreneurs are people who think out of the box just like you said, and yet sadly we still go with rote learning and do not encourage questioning and real learning by experimenting. Creativity is unpredicatble and that can be scary for some.
It is true that geniuses and entrepreneurs are people who think out of the box just like you said, and yet sadly we still go with rote learning and do not encourage questioning and real learning by experimenting. Creativity is unpredictable and that can be scary for some.
This hit hard, Chandrika! I was once that little boy who waited and then did what he was taught. I am so glad you wrote this and in teh simplest possible way. Beautiful lesson!
Such an eye opener. We have been doing this since childhood. But once we realize the reality, sometimes it becomes too late.
This made me pause in a good way. Sometimes the pressure to be original kills the joy of simply showing up and doing the work.
Schools have the responsibility of allowing children to imagine or follow a pattern. And well, many schools and teachers are doing it the wrong way, encouraging children to follow a path instead of creating their own. This poem beautifully highlights the dilemma a child faces when he is not allowed to think out of the box and how he is transformed when he is made to fit into a box.
What a beautiful blog. I remembered during our 10th standard one of the teacher wanted us to relax from the board exams stress and told us to draw anything but it shouldn’t have a name.. everyone got confused and then she said that’s the problem today once there’s boards exams books and stress people stop thinking and just get on the rat race without breathing and giving space for imagination. Later she said you could have just drawn two three things merged together like a bag, bucket, rose and gave it a funny name later. Sometimes thinking out of the box can help you keep your brain imaginative!
The first school is how most schools are functioning now, I’m glad he chose to change and is given an opportunity to do what he likes
Your story reminded me to cherish curiosity and creative freedom in learning, and I loved how you showed that real growth happens when we break routine and trust our instincts to explore fresh ideas and possibilities together.
The little boy’s journey reminds us that true learning thrives when children are trusted to explore, imagine, and express themselves freely—thinking out of the box fosters confidence, curiosity, and authentic growth.