Friday, February 5, 2016

“Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards.” ~Vernon Sanders Law

Think about the hardest test you ever took--the test with the most red slashes, dashes, and corrections; the test that gave you an awful, sinking feeling in your stomach; the test that made you feel like you might need to drop out or at least move to Canada.

For me, this test was in eleventh grade, in AP Calculus with Mr. Burkhardt (seeing the combination of these two names on a schedule at the beginning of the year meant certain peril).  Mr. Burkhardt was an extremely intelligent man who loved calculus and who loved teaching.  Yet, he was easily the most difficult teacher in the entire school because of his extremely high standards.

His tests were hard.

And I fought those tests with all my might.  I used to go to Mr. Burkhardt at all hours of the day for help, I worked meticulously on the homework, and I watched an immeasurable number of Khan Academy videos.  Yet, a majority of the time, the lessons always came after the test.

The test that sticks out to me had to do with taking the volume of the cross-sections of 3D objects (some application of integrals that has not crossed my mind in a good two and a half years), and I was absolutely terrified to get my grade back

As soon as the paper landed on my desk, I had a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.  I took one glance at all the red marks and my less-than-stellar score, and quickly stuffed the exam in my backpack, out of sight.  At that moment, I swore off math completely, gave up, and wallowed in disappointment.

The next day, I took the test to Mr. Burkhardt for one last look-over, and he helped me to understand every last problem better than I could have ever expected.  Although I was frustrated at myself for not solving the problems correctly in the first place, I gained a greater understanding of the concepts on the test by seeing those humbling red slashes and seeking out help.

In the words of Vernon Sanders Law, "Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards."

Like Mr. Burkhardt, life gives the lesson after the exam.  In life, we must constantly learn by trial and error.

Sometimes, we have days when we get everything wrong.  Our recollection of these days is riddled with red slashes--we say something hurtful to someone we care about, we forget appointments or responsibilities, or we get a mediocre grade on a test.  Our memories from our entire lives have countless red slashes as well.  The overarching, large, memorable mistakes we've made are the ones that we can learn from the most.  When we make a huge mistake and are angry, embarrassed, or ashamed, our negative memories of the event drive us to improve and avoid making the same mistake again.

That is the wonderful thing about mistakes, missteps, and mishaps: we hardly ever make the same mistake twice.  Even though we may feel irked that life doesn't just give us all the answers right away, it is much better to learn from experience and to take the test by simply living our lives, accepting the red marks, and seeking improvement when things don't go our way.

5 comments:

  1. I remember struggling with 3D volume and cross sections in calc too! And I think everyone can relate to doing not as well as they had hoped on a test and wanting to give up. Great post as usual!

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  2. I love the little details you include like the red slashes that we see not just on our tests, but in life. This made your post really relatable and interesting.

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  3. Wow, awesome application of a past story to such an important concept in life! I laughed when I read about the Calculus because I certainly remember those days...I agree with the theme of your post though; life is more about getting it wrong and learning from it than getting it right in the first place. Also, clutch Khan Academy reference!

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  4. Again you managed to pick a quote that I can identify with, but was a idea that I do not think I could have expressed on my own. Great job!

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  5. I've never heard this quote before, but I'll definitely be using it more often! I'm sure most of us can relate to your experience, I know I can. We all have those times where all we see is red slashes, but we just have to keep our head up!

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