The Walleyed Pike

By Dr James Dobson

Let me tell you a story about a walleyed pike, which is a fish, for those of you who aren't fishermen or fisherwomen.

Some interesting experiments have been done in laboratories where the walleye is placed in a big tank of water, and minnows are then put in the tank, which the walleye very quickly consumes. At that point, a large piece of glass is slid down the center of the tank, with the walleye on one side and the minnows on the other. Now the fish swims after the minnows and inevitably hits the glass and bounces back. He makes a U-turn and he tries again, but crashes into the divider again, time after time. Very quickly, the walleye will get discouraged and even quit trying to get the minnows. At that point, the researchers slide the glass out of the tank and let the minnows swim in and around the pike, but he knew what he knew - the minnows couldn't be had. Believe it or not, a walleyed pike will starve to death in a tank filled with the kind of food that he loves best, simply because he's become discouraged in his efforts to feed.

So it is with children who fail in their early school experiences. If their efforts to read, write and compute only bring frustration, some of them just quit trying. And ten years later, they'll drop out of school. That's why early educational intervention is absolutely critical for the child with a learning disability. You have to reach him or her before the paralysis of discouragments sets in.