Slow and Steady and READY Wins the Race 

or  

The Truth Behind the Story of the Tortoise and the Hare 

http://www.paroledautore.net/fiabe/classiche/lafontaine/lepretartarugafontaine.htm

“ Guess what? ”  said Tortoise as he left class after a lecture on study skills. 

“ What? ”  asked Dr. Barbara Oakley. 

“ I am going to run in the annual Jack Rabbit Marathon. ”  

“ Wow! That ’ s amazing! Tell me more, ”  responded Dr. Oakley. 

“ You told me how important it is to have an open mind to new adventures 
even if they seem impossible, ”  explained Tortoise.  “ I come from a long line 
of slow movers, but I know if I think about success and apply the concepts 
you have taught me, I just might surprise everyone. ”    

“ Fantastic, ”  said Barbara.   “ When is the race? ”  

“ Oh, it is not for 6 months but I have a plan and I am going to start 
preparing today. ”   I am going to build up my physical strength and 
endurance by alternating between walking, swimming, and climbing. I will 
start with short periods of time and keep slowly increasing how long and far 
I can go.   

“ Good thinking, ”  said his teacher.   “ What will be the hardest part of the race 
for you? 

“ I think crawling up the hills will be the most difficult, so I am going to 
practice that first each day, “  answered Tortoise.   “ I will let you know how it 
is going once I get started. ”  

“ I can ’ t wait to hear how you do. Good luck ” , said Barbara as she waved 
goodbye. 

Tortoise was true to his word. Every day he set a timer to help him get 
started on his workout routine.  Besides his physical preparation, he 
wanted to become familiar with the race route so he would be able to pace 
himself.  

He made a map of all of the obstacles in the race and started to memorize 
them from beginning to end. When his neighbor, Jo Boaler, came over to 
check on his progress, Tortoise gave her the map of the course and asked 
her to listen as he listed all of the obstacles in the correct order.  He was 
quite upset when he mixed up the order of the wooden bridge over the river 
and the wooden path by the goldfish pond.   

“ Don ’ t worry about making mistakes, ”  Jo reassured him.   “ Mistakes are 
good. It is when you make a mistake and then correct it that your brain 
grows the most.  Remember, it is not so important that you can tell me 
about the course quickly. It is better to think deeply about it and really 
understand how the obstacles are arranged. Be creative! ”   

After looking over the course again, Tortoise decided to break it up into 4 
section that were each 4 miles long.  He imagined the course in his own 
backyard.  The section through the woods he laid out in his imagination 
through the bushes along the fence.  An old sandbox that was propped 
against the fence served as the sandy hills he would encounter in the 
second part of the race.  He filled a plastic swimming pool with water to 
practice crossing the river in the third section of the race.  The last 6 miles 
would be on a paved road so he put a string across his driveway so he 
could pretend to run across the finish line. 

Each day, after his workout, Tortoise walked through his backyard and 
tested himself about how far it was to each object and what obstacles lay 
ahead. Then he would sit in the sun and let his mind wander as he thought 
how proud his friends and family would be. 



Of course, Tortoise ran into some trouble as he prepared for the marathon.  
He knew climbing the sand hills would be the most difficult and they 
continued to be a source of frustration.  A day before the race, he stopped 
by his friend Terry Sejnowksi ’ s office to discuss his problem.   

“ I am able to get up the hill quickly now that I have been practicing, ”  he 
explained.   “ But I hate the trip down the hill because I get sand inside the 
front of my shell and then it irritates me for the rest of the course.  I have 
even tried climbing down backwards but that really slows me down. ”  

“ Hmm, ”  said Terry.   “ That is frustrating. Do you think it would work if you 
turned on your side and rolled down the hill on the edge of your shell? ”  

“ That ’ s it, ”  cried Tortoise excitedly!  “ I never thought of that. I am so glad I 
came to talk it over with you. Two heads are definitely better than one. ”  

The next day, Tortoise went straight to the beach to practice climbing the 
dunes. He was anxious to try the new technique for getting back down the 
slope.  He was aware of the stares he was getting from others who were 
climbing up and down the hills but he continued on with his plan.   

“ What are you doing, boy? ”  cried an older and bigger tortoise.  “ We don ’ t roll 
on our sides!! We have been traveling on these dunes for hundreds of 
years and no one has ever rolled down a hill! ”  

Tortoise moved a little further down the hill and continued to practice his 
new technique even though he could still hear the others muttering about 
his  “ upstart ”  ideas.  On the way home, he stopped at the college to say 
hello to Dr. Oakland and he told her about the events of the day.    

“ Ah, yes, a case of Einstellung, ”   she said.   “ It is very common for people to 
do things the way they have always been done and resist new ideas.  
When some people focus on a problem, they are not able to see that there 
is a better solution because they keep making same mistake. It is a left 
brain versus right brain thing. But don ’ t worry. You have a great strategy 
and you should use it.  Good luck, I am routing for you. ”  

Tortoise felt reassured and confident as he continued on his way home.  
He planned to look over the course map one more time before bed and 
then get a good night sleep. 

As he passed the park he saw Hare jogging in place.  

“ Are you ready for the big day? ”  he asked the rabbit.   

“ You bet, ”  said Hare. I picked up a map of the course today and I am going 
to do 500 pushups and run 10 miles.  I am on it! ”  

Race day dawned.  Tortoise, Hare and the other contestants gathered at 
the starting line. The rest of the story is history.  

by Christine Lamby

Hello.  I am sending my project for Learning to Learn in 2 parts to be added to the hall of fame.  This is my cover letter.  I loved the course and was excited to complete the project. I am proof that you can teach an old dog new tricks.  I retired from my first career as a special education teacher and now am reinventing myself. There is so much to learn!