A Math Teacher's Remark on Elizabeth

Elizabeth's father died when she was nine. Her family was large, and very poor. She struggled for self esteem, but it was difficult when her clothes weren't as nice as the other kids and her new school was still unfamiliar.

During a math lesson, Elizabeth stared at the chalkboard and was struggling to understand a concept. With every stroke of the chalk, she became more confused. She had suffered from chronic ear infections, and had missed many days of her fifth grade year. When she finally got the courage to raise her little hand and ask Mr. Thompson how the problem was done, he became very angry. He marched her up in front of the class and told this insecure child that she was "incapable of learning and extremely stupid."

This remark plagued Elizabeth for years.

Elizabeth drifted into marriage. After discovering her husband's long time infidelity, she found herself divorced with three young daughters. She moved back to her home state and tried to pick up the pieces she had left behind.

Knowing that she would be the sole support of these children, and having no desire to remarry, Elizabeth started college. Like most good mothers, she wanted the best for her children. She didn't want to deprive them of their mother. She would rise early and stay up late to get every spare minute she could to study.

When she received her first "A" she was confused. She thought there must be some mistake. This was Elizabeth, Elizabeth the stupid. When her good grades piled up, she realized for the first time that maybe Mr. Thompson was wrong. She graduated from Brigham Young University, and will soon be receiving her master's degree at California State University in San Bernardino.