Mr. Chao, a middle school math teacher, has made an impact. One day, after passing back the graded homework assignments, a curly haired boy approached Mr. Chao and said, "I did not get my homework back - I turned it in yesterday." Mr. Chao replied, "I thought I passed back all of the papers that I received, but we can look into this a bit more after class."

With that the boy returned to his seat and Mr. Chao addressed the class. "Before we begin today's lesson, I want to tell you a story. Whenever I take my car in for service, I am careful to explain exactly what I want them to do. And I tell them that is all I want them to do, nothing more."

"The other day, I went to pick up my care from getting an oil change. Like always, I check under the hood before paying. 'Why did you look at the fuel injector?', I asked the mechanic. He replied that he didn't, but I explained to him 'Before take my car in for service, I always memorize the position of the heads of the bolts in the engine, and those for the fuel injection are not as they were when I brought the car in. The mechanic sheepishly admitted to looking at the fuel injection system to see if it needed servicing."

To most of the class, this was an interesting story mainly for it confirmed their belief that Mr. Chao was eccentric and for it wasted some class time. But I doubt any of them remember it today. However, for the curly hair boy, the message was clear and I can personally attest to the impact this story has had on that boy. It has never left him.

A fox, feeling very hungry, made his way to a vineyard near by, where he knew he would find a plentiful supply of grapes.

The season had been a good one, and he licked his lips when he saw the huge bunches hanging from the vine.

His joy was short-lived, however, for, try as he would, the grapes were just out of his reach.

At last, tired by his vain efforts, he turned away in disgust, remarking: "Anyone who wants them may have them for me. They are to green and sour for my palate; I would not touch them even if they were given to me."