Life Skills & Value Education – CLASS-V – UNIT-7 FAILURE IS A PART OF LIFE

Story Time

The Greatest Inventor of America: Thomas Alva Edison

In a village named Milan in Ohio lived the Edisons. Their red-bricked house

looked identical to all the other houses in the neighbourhood.

However, the home of the Edison family was different. Thomas Alva Edison,

The youngest child of Samuel and Nancy Edison, or ‘Al’, as they called him,

was a child other parents cautioned their children about.

Thomas was known to tinker with things. He would always speak of creating

grand things that nobody really understood. Even the teachers were tired of

His repeated failures in tests.

One fine day, the headmaster told his parents

That he did not foresee a bright future for the child even if he continued in school. ‘He is a lost child, Mrs Edison, I am so sorry to say this. Hisgrades are terrible. I doubt he can go far,’ said the headmaster sympathetically.

Mrs Nancy Edison was dejected, but she decided not to give up. ‘I will homeschool Thomas. Your school doesn’t deserve a child as special as him,’said Mrs Edison and brought Thomas home. She taught him to read, write and solve maths problems at home. Thomas was a curious child. He would often ask questions about various things, and his mother always encouraged him to go looking for the answers. Thomas

Gradually became an avid reader and was excellent at maths.

Meanwhile, the family moved to another town called Michigan. Thomas still dreamed of creating grand things. So, for years, he sold candies and newspapers at the local station and saved every penny that he could.

At the age of 16, he tried to convince the station master to give him a small

space in one of the unused train coaches to create a lab for his experiments. I want to build technology that will light up every house in America,’ insisted

Thomas.Reluctant but touched by Thomas’s passion, the station master allowed him to use a small space as a lab for his experiments.

One wretched afternoon, one of his experiments backfired. His lab in the

train coach caught fire. Angered by this incident, the station master pulled

Thomas’s ears very hard. This was one of the reasons that led to his partial deafness later. ‘Never be seen here again!’ fumed the station master. Thomas

was heartbroken on losing his lab.Thomas worked extra hard for the next few years, and eventually, took up a job with a telegraph company. He saved for years and finally built a magnificent lab. There, he ran experiments day in and day out. Many a times,he skipped food and sleep but continued experimenting.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Thomas finally invented the light bulb. He

Screamed with joy! His invention generated a lot of excitement and interest

Across the country. He was even invited to meet the President of America. Everyone hailed him as the greatest inventor of America.When asked how he succeeded despite so many failures, he replied, ‘Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The best way to succeed is to try one more time.’

Moral of the Story: Never give up. Keep trying till you succeed.

Let Us Discuss

1. Answer the following questions.

(a) Why did the other parents caution their children about Thomas?

(b) What did the headmaster tell Thomas’s parents?

(c) How did Thomas’s mother help him in his studies?

(d) Why was the station master angry with Thomas?

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