The Good Example

                                                                                          Vicente Riva Palacio, Mexico (1832-1896)
Summary in English

"The Good Example" is a story about the educational system of Mexico in the 19th century based on traditional methodologies like memorization as well as parrot learning. The writer truly makes a bitter comment with such educational system where even a parrot can open a school.
There was a village in the Southern part of the Mexico Republic. In that village, there was a school run by Don Lucas Forcida. He was a hardworking teacher; therefore, villagers and pupils liked and respected him very much. He had adopted the traditional methodology of teaching and learning. Students chanted the alphabets, syllables, religious question and answers, poems and historical dates in s monotonous way. Their learning consisted in repeating the teacher's words and sentences with boringness.
Don Lucas had a best friend named 'Perico.' Perico was a parrot that used to seat above the school door. It used to imitate whatever the teachers and students chanted. The interesting thing is that after school, Perico and the head teacher used to enjoy having cake and chocolate in the school ground. They understood each other perfectly. So, both were tighter. Several years passed. Don Lucas had much confidence on his parrot, therefore; no longer he trimmed his wings or tied his legs.
One day a strange incident took place. One of the school children informed Don Lucas about the parrot's escape. Don Lucas and the children saw the bird fly away into the deep forest with the forest dwelling parrots. Don Lucas, teachers and all students got shocked from this incident. Don Lucas though himself that the parrot was ungrateful to abandon the best friends like him. After a long time; they had forgotten the terrible incident.
After several months, Don Lucas had to make a trip to neighboring village was twenty or thirty miles away from his house. When he was in the middle forest, it was already two o'clock in the afternoon. Don Lucas's ears caught a familiar sound like children chanting syllables, alphabets and words. Suddenly, he thought it was a fancy but later he asked himself if there was a school in the forest. He got surprised. Finally, he saw a group of parrots chanting alphabets, syllables and words by flying over his head. There was a Perico as well.
At the end, Perico turned his head towards his master, Don Lucas and told cheerfully that he had opened a school in the forest.