Dear Reader Column 11-03-2020

Dear Reader,

Congratulations to Chassidy Coon, this year's 3rd Place winner in the Write a DearReader Contest!

A lab tech at Cornell University, Chassidy said she's never won anything before based on merit, so she was thrilled to hear the news when I called her. I'm always curious about the writing process for people who enter the contest, and when I asked Chassidy, she admitted, "I put it off until the very last minute." (I think writing under deadline pressure is a winning strategy for her.)

I'm so glad you entered the contest this year, Chassidy. I really enjoyed reading your story.

Isn't it a bit curious how some of the most important lessons we learned in school did not really have anything to do with the subject matter? One of the mantras I often tell myself (and have passed to my son as well), came from my High School Chemistry teacher: "Don't be too upset about your wrong answers. Those are usually the ones you learn the most from." In one of my Junior High classes, a teacher had a banner on her wall with the Plato quote "wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something." When I find myself wrapped up in meaningless conversation, I can picture that banner.

Arguably the most valuable lesson I learned came from my High School American Studies teacher. It was a sneaky lesson that did not appear to be one. He announced that he was going to give us an extra credit opportunity. He had a container of pennies that he would pass around. In secret, we would each take pennies to correspond to an extra grade that he would mark down in his book. If you took 4 pennies, you would get an A. Three pennies for a B, 2 for a C, and one penny for a D. There was just one small catch. There were only enough pennies for every student in the class to take two pennies each. Well, instantly my super competitive side went into overdrive. I convinced myself that I deserved to get an A. I studied hard, I usually got A's anyway, and I was obsessed about my overall GPA and graduating near the top of my class. I could not take a lower grade. And nobody was going to know about it, right? I NEEDED that A. So I took 4 pennies.

After all students had a chance to take the number they wanted, the teacher announced that there were still a few pennies left if anybody wanted more. Everyone laughed but nobody took him up on that offer. Next, he collected slips of paper that simply stated our name and the grade we chose. And then the true terror of what came next. This strange, experimental lesson would not be completely in secret. He kept our names anonymous, but he began to tally on the blackboard. One B, one C, B, a D (to which everyone laughed), C, C, B, A...

With that mention of A, everyone laughed and began to speculate on which student gave themself an A. I sat in panic during the rest of his tally that I would be the only selfish one to have selected an A. He continued. More C's, more B's, maybe another D or two. Not one more A.

I was so completely ashamed of myself and the greed that consumed me in that moment. I imagined that I would go back to the teacher at the end of the day and convince him to give me a D and upgrade another student's grade instead. However, I was too embarrassed to speak to him. But that lesson has stuck with me, and I have often considered that it was a lesson that only I am likely to have remembered, because it was one that I needed. That day I thought the lesson was solely about my greed. In the 20 plus years since then, I have realized it was about greed at the expense of others. It was about sharing the wealth. It was about looking out for your neighbors, your colleagues, your peers. When I think about that lesson today, I ask myself if I have taken too much; have I given enough?

Reader, I ask you to ask yourself: have you taken too many pennies today?

Chassidy Coon
Third Place Winner
Write a DearReader Contest 2020

Thanks for reading with me. It's so good to read with friends.

Suzanne Beecher
[email protected]

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Comments

[Linda Freedman]

Congratulations!

I loved this story. Keep writing.

[Tracie Johnstone]

Chassidy, I loved this story! What a wonderful message for you to send when there is so much need in our world right now.