The Most Important Equation
I was never an outstanding student, but I did work hard. Sadly, a student’s hard work is not always reflected in his grades, which can be demoralizing. But my junior high algebra teacher made a profound change in the way I viewed my grades—and myself.
About thirty of us started out in algebra, but the class size dwindled by the end of the quarter. Several students went into pre-algebra, and that’s where I wanted to go as soon as I could get my algebra teacher to sign my drop card. I was shocked when I found out that Mr. Ahern would not sign it. I was indignant (as only a junior high student can be). I went to see him about this injustice.
"He must have it in for me," I thought (every junior high teacher has it in for his students, you know). I stood in the hall with Mr. Ahern. He said, "I’m not letting you out because I think you can do this. You come to me in the mornings before school, and I will help you."
Those words, "I think you can do this," really hit me. I was still unhappy, but those words expressed something that moved my spirit. Someone thought I could do it.
So I went to Mr. Ahern in the mornings. Math was always very hard for me, and my struggle must have been frustrating for him. I really tried but rarely understood. It’s scary when you can feel the teacher’s frustration, which increases your own sense of incompetence. You fear that look that says, "I can’t believe you aren’t getting this." You are listening, but you use twice the energy as the good students to stay on track, only to still feel totally lost.
I remember the anticipation of waiting to see my test. I had worked intensely hard, and I wanted to show Mr. Ahern that all of his extra work had paid off. Then I saw the C. My heart dropped. Maybe it was my face, or maybe he was going to do it anyway, but Mr. Ahern asked another girl and me to stand. "What is he going to do?" I wondered. "Let everyone know that even with the extra help I could get only a C?"
I slowly stood, feeling that I had let Mr. Ahern down. Mr. Ahern said, "These girls got C»s on their tests, but their C’s are as good as anyone’s A’s in this class." WOW! A special feeling came over me—something that I could never get with extra grant money, newer technology, or smaller class size. Mr. Ahern knew me and knew how hard I had tried, and then he had validated my effort. The A students were still A students but I suddenly felt equal to them. They clapped for us.
Mr. Ahern had looked past the grade to me, the individual, and to what I had done.
Just as we Christians need different encouragement at different times, our students need different kinds of encouragement and different approaches to learning at different times. In the Christian walk, some become pastors and missionaries while others work secular jobs. Yet, we all come to learn from the Master Teacher, and He has different things for us to learn and to put to use in different ways. The key is that we are all to be moving forward.
I wish I could tell you that I went on to be a great math whiz. I didn’t. Instead, I went on to try things that I never would have tried before. I took geometry and upper-level math classes in high school. I did all right, even got some A’s on tests; and when I got those C’s, I would just say to myself, "They’re as good as anyone’s A’s." Because I took those classes, I started hanging out with kids who were thinking of college, and so I got on track for higher learning too. I became the first and only college graduate in my family.
I am so thankful that Mr. Ahern did not give up on me. I may not have totally mastered algebra at that time, but I did begin to master tenacity, the ability to keep going. Mr. Ahern saw past my fear, past my desire to throw in the towel, and past my grade, to what I could be. I consider this experience a pivotal point in my life, and I have Mr. Ahern to thank for that. If you are a teacher and know of one student who can say that about you, doesn’t that make all of the hard and discouraging days worth it?
Now that I am a Christian schoolteacher, I try to remember not to get bogged down in the day-to-day problems that can zap my strength but instead to lean on the One who is the Giver of strength and of hope. Mr. Ahern gave me hope without even being in a Christian school. How much more can I, as a Christian teacher, be able to encourage and give a vision to a student who struggles? Mr. Ahern, thanks for showing me the possibilities. Dear God, thank you for making the possibilities endless.