A STORY

The Sailor and the Teacher

Ayra earned his living by taking people on short boat trips. He came from a nautical family, and although he’d never had any formal education, he had learned all about sailing from his father and grandfather.

One day a schoolteacher, who fancied a few hours at sea in order to rest from the rigors of the classroom, hired him. He’d not been on Ayra’s boat long before he asked: “What do you think the weather’s going to be like today, Ayra?”

The sailor assessed the strength of the wind, examined the sky, looked at the sea and then said, “I think we is going to have a storm.”

The teacher looked shocked. “What? Can’t you speak properly? You shouldn’t say ‘we is.’ You should say ‘we are’! Didn’t anyone teach you grammar?”

“I’m a sailor,” replied Ayra. “What do I need grammar for?”

“Because, if you don’t know grammar, half your life is wasted!” the teacher sneered, as he settled down to read his book. Within minutes, and just as Ayra had predicted, the storm clouds began to gather, and the waves became choppy. Ayra became anxious as the boat was tossed on the rough sea.

“Did you ever learn to swim?” asked Ayra.

“Why should I learn to swim? I’m a schoolteacher!”

“Well then your whole life is wasted, because this boat is going to sink any minute now!