Nothing like a funny parable for getting a good message across. I believe this one was originally from "Chicken Soup for the Soul".

Once upon a time, the animals decided that they must do something heroic to meet the problems of a new world. So they organised a school. They adopted an activity curriculum consisting of running, swimming, climbing and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals took all the subjects.

The duck was excellent in swimming, in fact better than his instructor, but made only passing grades in flying and was very poor at running. Since he was slow in running he had to stay after school and drop swimming in order to practise running. This was kept up until his webbed feet were badly worn and he was only average in swimming. But average was acceptable in school, so nobody worried about that, except the duck.

The rabbit started at the top of the class in running but had a nervous break-down because of so much make-up work in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing, until he developed frustration in the flying class where the teacher made him start from the ground up instead of from the treetop down. He also developed a leg injury from over-exertion and then got a "C" in climbing and a "D" in running.

The eagle was a problem child and was disciplined severely. In the climbing class he beat all the others to the top of the tree but insisted in using his own way to get there.

At the end of the year, an abnormal eel that could swim exceedingly well, and also run, climb and fly a little had the highest average and was awarded "Dux as the top of the school.

The prairie dogs stayed out of the school and refused to pay fees because the administration would not add digging and burrowing to the curriculum. They apprenticed their children to a badger and later joined the groundhogs and gophers to start a successful alternative school.