My Element
When I was in middle school I had the coolest science teacher. He had a degree in rock. . . well geology anyway, and you’ve never heard minerals sound so interesting. Anyway, we were studying the periodic table of elements one day when he assigned us to each make a diagram of an element out of the top fifteen. Each element would be given to a maximum of two students, so we had to sign up. I raised my hands as he gave the instructions.
“Mr. Strickland, can I have Carbon?”
I honestly don’t remember which element I wanted, but I thought it would be an easy one. He shook his head and explained, “I’ll call your names one at a time, and you’ll come sign up for an element, but” he turned to the class, “No one can sign up for a second element until they all have been signed up for once. I was a little disappointed, but I waited for my turn. Honestly, I didn’t really care which one I got. I thought, though, that the teacher would call my name a little early so that I could get the one I asked for. It seems silly now.
He began to call the names of each student. I don’t remember if there was an order to it, but I remember feeling with each passing name that the teacher was intentionally keeping me from something he knew I wanted. My face got a little red and my eyes a little wet. Finally He called on me. As I stood up, I knew that my frustration wasn’t fair to the teacher. I had no more right than anyone else to be called on early. Even still, I couldn’t shake a feeling of resentment towards my teacher.
I walked up to his desk to sign up, and saw that every element had been signed up once, but none twice. He whispered that he had called me just now so that I could have my pick, presumably without seeming unfair. Wow. Embarrassed and grateful, I signed up and sat down.
This story sticks with me today because I feel like it taught me a whole lot of good things. Believe the good about people. Don’t judge too harshly. Don’t be quick to think yourself ill-used.
Each of us will have the chance to make a good or bad opinion about people based on incomplete evidence. I hope we choose to believe the good.
