A School Witch Hunt
This is a powerful lesson…
A high school class is learning about the Salem Witch Trials. Their teacher told them they were going to play a game.
“I’m going to come around and whisper to each of you whether you’re a witch or a regular person. Your goal is to build the largest group possible that does NOT have a witch in it. At the end, any group found to include a witch gets a failing grade.”
The teens dove into grilling each other. One fairly large group formed, but most of the students broke into small, exclusive groups, turning away anyone they thought gave off even a hint of guilt.
“Okay,” the teacher said. “You’ve got your groups. Time to find out which ones fail. All witches, please raise your hands.”
No one raised a hand.
The kids were confused and told the teacher he’d messed up the game. “Did I?” He asked.
“Was anyone in Salem an actual witch? Or did everyone just believe what they’d been told?”
And that is how you show kids how easy it is to divide a community.
Shunning, scapegoating, placing blame and dividing will each destroy far more than they will protect.
Don’t allow fear to cloud your decisions. Use your own discernment. Trust your heart…and your gut.
The best teachers will show you where to look, but they won’t tell you what to see.
Source: Unknown
If you love the kind of story filled with witches and wonderful story-telling, please consider checking out my good friend and all-round good person, Cynthia Raleigh and The Lanthorne Ordinary Witches. It’s a superb read…
Witches have been hunted, tried, and executed for centuries. The Colonies are not immune to the fear of sorcery. In the Spring of 1660, the small Connecticut village of Milthorpe abruptly finds itself in the throes of a witch scare. Yarrow Pickering, the village herbal woman and proprietor of the Lanthorne Ordinary struggles to prove an accused woman is innocent but becomes ensnared in the witch hunt. Yarrow can’t be sure if her relationship with the Magistrate’s son will harm or help her against her most strident opponents. The trials are beginning…
…but this time, what will happen when one of the accused truly is a witch?
© Colin Lawson Books