Stretched Like Silly Putty

I am stretched like silly putty over an over-sized thumb.
I try to congeal into different types of jello jiglers
So I can fit pre-made molds
That were designed in elementary school,
But hadn’t gone into production until junior high.
Do I become a shepherd or a scout?
Which is greater:
Teaching the people walking forward
to run
Or
Teaching the people walking backward
to stop?