Marwan returns to his first workshop with a new method to teach. An overlooked crack turns his demonstration into a difficult exchange about expertise and respect.
01Read the Arabic story
الْمُتَدَرِّبُ الَّذِي عَادَ مُعَلِّمًا
عَادَ مَرْوَانُ إِلَى وَرْشَةِ النِّجَارَةِ الَّتِي تَعَلَّمَ فِيهَا أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ، لَكِنَّهُ حَمَلَ هَذِهِ الْمَرَّةَ خُطَّةَ دَرْسٍ. دَعَاهُ صَاحِبُهَا، الْمُعَلِّمُ عُمَرُ، لِيُدَرِّبَ الْمُتَعَلِّمِينَ الْجُدُدَ عَلَى تَنْظِيمِ قَطْعِ الْخَشَبِ. كَانَ مَرْوَانُ يَعْمَلُ فِي وَرْشَةٍ أَكْبَرَ، وَيَسْتَخْدِمُ رُسُومًا تُقَلِّلُ الْقِطَعَ الْمُهْمَلَةَ. عَلَى الْجِدَارِ بَقِيَ الْقَالَبُ الْخَشَبِيُّ الْقَدِيمُ الَّذِي رَسَمَ بِهِ أَوَّلَ رَفٍّ.
بَدَأَ الدَّرْسَ بِرَسْمٍ وَرَقِيٍّ، وَقَالَ إِنَّ تَرْتِيبَهُ الْجَدِيدَ يَتْرُكُ فَضَلَاتٍ أَقَلَّ. سَأَلَ أَحَدُ الْمُتَعَلِّمِينَ: إِذَنْ، لِمَاذَا نَسْتَعْمِلُ الْقَالَبَ الْقَدِيمَ؟ تَوَقَّفَ عُمَرُ عَنْ تَرْتِيبِ الْأَدَوَاتِ. أَجَابَ مَرْوَانُ بِسُرْعَةٍ أَنَّ الْوَسَائِلَ تَتَطَوَّرُ. لَمْ يَقْصِدْ إِهَانَةَ مُعَلِّمِهِ، لَكِنَّهُ رَأَى الْمُتَعَلِّمِينَ يَنْظُرُونَ إِلَى عُمَرَ بَدَلًا مِنَ الرَّسْمِ. وَبَقِيَ السُّؤَالُ مُعَلَّقًا بَيْنَ الطَّاوِلَتَيْنِ دُونَ جَوَابٍ وَاضِحٍ.
اقْتَرَبَ عُمَرُ مِنَ اللَّوْحِ الْمُعَدِّ لِلتَّجْرِبَةِ، وَأَشَارَ إِلَى شَقٍّ صَغِيرٍ عِنْدَ طَرَفِهِ. كَانَ الرَّسْمُ يَضَعُ قِطْعَةً مُهِمَّةً فِي ذَلِكَ الْمَكَانِ. قَالَ بِهُدُوءٍ: الْوَرَقُ لَا يَحْمِلُ هَذَا الشَّقَّ. شَعَرَ مَرْوَانُ بِالْحَرَجِ، وَكَادَ يَخْتَارُ لَوْحًا آخَرَ لِيُكْمِلَ عَرْضَهُ. ثُمَّ طَلَبَ مِنْ عُمَرَ أَنْ يَشْرَحَ مَا يَفْحَصُهُ قَبْلَ الرَّسْمِ، وَوَقَفَ يَسْتَمِعُ مَعَ الْآخَرِينَ.
بَعْدَ الشَّرْحِ، عَدَّلَ مَرْوَانُ تَوْزِيعَ الْقِطَعِ، وَلَمْ يَعُدْ تَوْفِيرُ الْخَشَبِ بِالْحَجْمِ الَّذِي وَعَدَ بِهِ. اعْتَرَفَ بِذَلِكَ أَمَامَ الْجَمِيعِ. فِي الِاسْتِرَاحَةِ، سَأَلَ عُمَرَ إِنْ كَانَ يُفَضِّلُ تَقْدِيمَ الدَّرْسِ التَّالِي مَعَهُ. أَجَابَ الْمُعَلِّمُ: أُرِيدُ أَنْ تَسْمَعَ اعْتِرَاضِي، لَا أَنْ تُخَصِّصَ لِي دَوْرًا لِأَنَّنِي عَلَّمْتُكَ قَدِيمًا. كَانَ رَدُّهُ أَصْعَبَ مِنْ مُجَامَلَةٍ مُتَبَادَلَةٍ.
فِي نِهَايَةِ الْيَوْمِ، كَتَبَ مَرْوَانُ عَلَى الرَّسْمِ سَبَبَ كُلِّ تَعْدِيلٍ، وَتَرَكَ مَسَاحَةً لِمُلَاحَظَاتِ الْمُتَعَلِّمِينَ. سَأَلَهُ شَابٌّ أَيَّ الطَّرِيقَتَيْنِ يَنْبَغِي أَنْ يَحْفَظَ. طَلَبَ مِنْهُ مَرْوَانُ أَنْ يُقَارِنَ بَيْنَهُمَا عَلَى اللَّوْحِ التَّالِي. عِنْدَ الْمَغَادَرَةِ، رَأَى عُمَرَ يَضَعُ الرَّسْمَ الْجَدِيدَ تَحْتَ الْقَالَبِ الْقَدِيمِ، لِئَلَّا تَحْمِلَهُ الرِّيحُ مِنَ النَّافِذَةِ الْمَفْتُوحَةِ.
Show English translationHide English translation
Marwan returned to the woodworking workshop where he had first learned, but this time he carried a lesson plan. Its owner, Master Umar, had invited him to train the new learners in organising wood cutting. Marwan worked in a larger workshop and used drawings that reduced discarded pieces. On the wall remained the old wooden template he had used to draw his first shelf.
He began the lesson with a paper drawing and said that his new arrangement left fewer offcuts. One learner asked, “Then why do we use the old template?” Umar stopped arranging the tools. Marwan quickly answered that methods evolve. He had not intended to insult his teacher, but he saw the learners looking at Umar instead of the drawing. The question remained suspended between the two tables without a clear answer.
Umar approached the board prepared for the demonstration and pointed to a small crack near its edge. The drawing placed an important piece in that spot. He said calmly, “The paper does not have this crack.” Marwan felt embarrassed and almost chose another board to complete his presentation. Then he asked Umar to explain what he examined before drawing, and stood listening with the others.
After the explanation, Marwan changed the arrangement of the pieces, and the wood saving was no longer as large as he had promised. He acknowledged this in front of everyone. During the break, he asked Umar whether he would prefer to give the next lesson with him. His teacher answered, “I want you to hear my objection, not assign me a role because I taught you long ago.” His response was harder to hear than an exchange of compliments.
At the end of the day, Marwan wrote the reason for each change on the drawing and left space for the learners’ notes. A young man asked him which of the two methods he should memorise. Marwan asked him to compare them on the next board. As he left, he saw Umar put the new drawing under the old template so that the wind from the open window would not carry it away.
02Useful words from the story
| Arabic in the story | Meaning here |
|---|---|
| وَرْشَةِ النِّجَارَةِ | the woodworking workshop |
| الْقَالَبُ الْخَشَبِيُّ | the wooden template |
| فَضَلَاتٍ | offcuts; leftover pieces |
| إِهَانَةَ مُعَلِّمِهِ | insulting his teacher |
| مُعَلَّقًا | unresolved; hanging |
| شَقٍّ صَغِيرٍ | a small crack |
| بِالْحَرَجِ | embarrassed; with embarrassment |
| تَوْفِيرُ الْخَشَبِ | the saving of wood |
| اعْتِرَاضِي | my objection |
| مُجَامَلَةٍ مُتَبَادَلَةٍ | an exchange of compliments |
03Check your understanding
Choose one answer for each question. Use the Arabic text to distinguish facts, motives and supported inferences. Open the English support when needed.
What to remember
- A paper plan reveals one kind of efficiency; Umar’s attention to the actual board reveals a limitation the plan missed.
- Respect involves hearing a difficult objection. A shared teaching role alone cannot replace that attention.
Explore the Arabic in this story
Related grammar and vocabularyOpen Araqick guides connected to this story.
Arabic Relative Pronouns: Joining Ideas with Alladhi and Allati
وَرْشَةِ النِّجَارَةِ الَّتِي تَعَلَّمَ فِيهَا أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ
Follow allati as it connects the workshop to Marwan’s earlier experience.
Lam in Arabic: How to Say “Did Not”
لَمْ يَقْصِدْ إِهَانَةَ مُعَلِّمِهِ
Use lam with a jussive verb to distinguish an unintended insult from its visible effect.
