Secondary: Current Assemblies

THE PLEASURE OF A PENCIL

By Helen Redfern

Suitable for Key Stage 3


Aim

To encourage students to think, in this season of Lent, about how much they have and what they might give up for a while to focus on how they can help those who do not have as much.

Preparation and materials

• You will need three readers.
• There is a photo from Zimbabwe to accompany this assembly.
• For information about this work in Zimbabwe and across Africa, visit www.thecharchartrust.org

Assembly

1. I’m sure many of you have watched I’m a Celebrity – Get Me Out of Here! In this reality TV show, some of our rich and famous celebrities are encouraged to give up everything to survive in the jungle. They are far from home with no control over their food supply or the tasks and trials that they are required to do. Each celebrity is allowed to choose one luxury item to take with them into the jungle. One may choose a photo of their children; another a soft fluffy pillow. For another, the luxury item may be a supply of hair gel or a miracle face cream. For each one, it is an item that they feel they could not live without.
   
   If you had to choose just one luxury item to take with you into the jungle, what would it be? Turn to the person next to you and discuss your choice (allow some time for this).
   
2. We all have special things that we feel we could not live without.
   
   Reader 1: I could never survive without my iPod. Music is my life. I would be lost without it. How could I get to sleep without listening to music?
   
   Reader 2:  For me, it’s chocolate. I have to have chocolate every day or I become sub-human. I cannot imagine getting through a whole day without a bar of chocolate.
   
   Reader 3: Life would not be worth living if I could not have a shower every day. I stand there under the steaming hot jet of water for ten minutes and it is pure heaven. There is no way I would leave the house without having had a shower. Being clean is the most important thing in my life.
   
3. In this season of Lent, for the 40 days leading up to Easter it is traditional for Christians to give up something that is special to them in order to help them focus on the suffering that Jesus went through on the cross.
   
   We can get so caught up in the things that are special to us and in wanting more and more that we forget about what is really important and about those across the world who have less than us and are suffering.
   
4. When was the last time you got excited about a pencil?
   
   Look at this photo, and the joy on the faces of these children in Zimbabwe who have each been given a pencil by a representative of the Charchar Trust. For many of them, this will be the first pencil of their own they have ever had. Pencils are not provided in school in Zimbabwe. Several children often have to share one pencil between them. For each of these children, this pencil will be a treasured possession. The pleasure of a pencil – not something that would ever cross our minds here.
   
5. So this season of Lent, how about giving up something that is important to you, your luxury item, so that you can focus on those who don’t have as many possessions as you do?
   
   Reader 1: I suppose I do spend an awful lot of time listening to music. I wonder what I would do instead if I stopped for a while? I could research music from different countries, like that track that’s been released from the Cadbury Fair Trade advert. I could find out about projects that produce music to support poor communities.
   
   Reader 2: I’ve got an idea. Rather than giving up chocolate completely for Lent, I could buy Fair Trade chocolate twice a week. All the supermarkets have it now. That way, I can still get my chocolate fix and I’m doing something to help others.
   
   Reader 3: Well, there’s no way I’m not going to have a shower for 40 days. We would all be suffering then. But I guess I could halve the time I spend in the shower and that would save water and energy. I’m going to find out about water projects across the world too. If clean water matters for me, then it matters for everyone in the world.

Time for reflection

Show the photo again.

Think about the children in Zimbabwe … the pleasure of a pencil.

We have so much to be thankful for. Take a moment now to think about all the good things that you have and to give thanks for them.

Now think about your luxury item. Take a moment to reflect on what you could do in this season of Lent to give something up to focus more on those who have less than you.

If you’ve been touched by that photo, perhaps you and your friends could raise money for the Charchar Trust, to enable more children to have their very own pencils.

Listen to the words of this prayer and make them your own if you would like to.

Prayer

Father God,

We are reminded in this season of Lent of the events in Jesus’ life leading up to Easter,

when he gave up so much for others.

Throughout history, men and women have given up many things to help other people.

Amen.