Responsibility and Respect: A Teachable Moment

Today’s actual archery lesson was simply coaching the kids to help them do their best and get better, but the lesson changed paths quickly.
I always teach them to be responsible for self and other students, the equipment, and to be respectful of me and each other as well as what we are doing. However, today became a lesson on these things as they apply to life.
One of the students found a snail. Seems like we always have one student who is fascinated with nature and finds something to play with. He had hoped to take it home but another student broke its shell. I didn’t know it until after the fact and I’m still not sure why it happened, if it was an accident or intentional but the same student who cracked the snail shell also killed a spider another student found. Then he smiled about it.
I asked him why he did that and he said because it was a spider. My response was to point to the surrounding trees and grass and say, "Woods, field. This is the spider’s home not yours. It had a right to be here. I worry about kids who kill things just because they can."
Not more than ten minutes later another student said, "It would be fun to have a target that looked like a person." This is when my lesson changed to the whole class. And this is what they were told:
Note, we never shoot at deer targets or other animal targets. You’ve never seen me put up anything that isn’t fantasy, like a dragon or monster. Sometimes a knight in armor, but that’s different. We simply do not kill things because we can. You need to respect life."
I have nothing personal against hunting, I just see no need to do it. However, before I would encourage anyone to hunt, I would certainly take time to make sure they respect life.
And the little boy who wanted to take the snail home held it so gently and asked if it was dead or just sleeping. I told him to put it in the grass so another animal could eat it. That’s nature’s way and that I was sorry someone had killed it. He told his father what happened and I don’t think I have ever seen a little boy act so sad over a snail. Now that child is one I would trust with my own life.