Parable of the Beta Fish

A former student who is in graduate school studying contemporary literature in Canada, emailed me with a line that bothered me. He said he always felt sorry for teachers, especially literature teachers, at BYU-Idaho for being so restricted and limited in what they teach.

I’ve never felt restricted here at BYU-Idaho; in fact, I’ve always felt that I have complete freedom to teach whatever I’d want to teach. I have definitely taught things that others wouldn’t teach, but when I do, I prepare students for the reading; they know I care about them and about the literature, and I always allow alternate readings.

I also feel strongly about individual choice, so often in my classes, I have multiple reading choices, especially if someone finds something too disturbing. I feel one of my main responsibilities as a teacher is to share with students meaningful, significant literature, and I also want students to realize that good, well-written literature can also complement the gospel. For that reason, I try to demonstrate that through my reading selections for class. There are so many good choices, that if some don’t feel comfortable with something, then we can turn to something else.

I’m a very firm believer for the right book, for the right person, at the right time.

Just this Sunday, our 12 year-old neighbor gave her first youth speaker talk. She shared an experience she had the day before. They had recently bought a Beta fish, and they had been cautioned not to fill the fishbowl too full. They were fine for a few days, but she started to think that fish needed more swimming space, especially since it had spent so much time in those little containers in the store. So Catrina filled the bowl fuller. She went to watch a movie, and when she walked through the kitchen, she saw that the fish had jumped out of the bowl—the fish was wanting more freedom than what it had. She quickly called her dad who picked up the limp fish, put it in the water, aerated the water, and massaged the fish back to swimming. Catrina, then removed some of the water.

I’m calling this the Parable of the Beta Fish. Sometimes we think we’re being restricted, even if we do have freedom, so we look outside our bowls and life and wish we could be like others or do things differently than the Church counsels. So we may jump out thinking we’re more free; however, we find that it wasn’t good for us. At times we can’t return on our own to our safe bowl, and someone or Someone has to help us return.

No, I don’t feel restricted personally or professionally. I’m able to read and teach whatever I’d like. I am, however, sensitive to my students—I don’t want to impose my reading choices, preferences, or beliefs on them. Rather, my students are developing their own standards and choices, and I want to be the one to facilitate those opportunities.