On Education I: The Keychain, or the Die
The story of a lesson that I always carry with myself
By
Our usual eagerness to receive our scores in the exam was palpable in the class. The competitive environment and the significance placed on academic performance made these moments more than just about numbers—they represented our standing, effort, and even camaraderie as we prepared to compare results and celebrate or commiserate together. So often did we receive grades through our different courses that we had become experts in hiding any anxiety or concern before getting our scores. Yet despite this, on every occasion, you could easily feel the tensions and anticipation among all of us rise as we waited to compare scores to see who had come first and, of course, who had come last.
So was it to be among an group of teenage boys who attended the ” school for advanced students”. We were the best of friends and the greatest of rivals; your closest friend could be the one to mock you most for a poor score, or your rival the first to acknowledge your high score, although in most cases mostly to mock you for being too big of a nerd among nerds. Looking back, perhaps there truly was no way to win (excluding the ultimate prize of an olympiad medal), yet almost all of us loved it. Exams and quizzes were our sport, and the ritual of comparing grades, our way of finding the best player.
This exam was in probability, in our mathematics course. A high score was especially coveted, not only because of the subject’s importance but also because the teacher was one of our favorites. So when the teacher came in the class we were excited to receive our results and start our tallying of the scores. As always however, he was wise enough to not succumb to our initial demands for getting the results at the beginning of the class. As he was well aware that would lead to a raucous in the class among the 25 or so students.
It was about 25 minutes before the end of the class then that our teacher finished discussing the day’s topic and brought up the matter of the exams. This time, however, he began by acknowledging that two students had achieved an exceptionally rare bonus score, something that immediately caught everyone’s attention. The reason behind which was that in a question explaining the probability of a series of scenarios involving a die, they had mentioned that the scenarios would hold true only if the die was fair. I was one of the two students, and having received 19 points out of 20 in the exam ended up with a full 20 and the highest score in the class.
(It would be remiss not to mention that the other student, a dear friend, for a long time held a strong belief that all events in the world have a 50-50 probability—as they either happen or do not. He even started convincing others about it, but that is perhaps best saved for another story.)
It was a great lesson for all of us on the importance of attention to detail. Moreover it was rather cunning of the teacher to announce it publicly in that fashion to the whole class, partially of course it was purely praising two students that had shown to have taken home some of the fundamental aspects of probability, but I believe it was also a way of ensuring all of the students would take that lesson to heart through utilizing our rivalries. Although bonus points were never again awarded afterwards.
Beyond the slight boost to my ego, I took that experience as a broader lesson deeply to heart. I would like to believe that I would have done so even if I had not been on the receiving end of that bonus point. That awarding people for being innovative or detailed oriented, even if doing so is not part of the general criteria of requirements will leave them with a deep sense of appreciation of having gone the extra mile even though it was not demanded of them.
The memory of that lesson has stayed with me. To this day, whenever I see a die, I am reminded of that moment. Years later, when my Darth Vader keychain broke, I replaced it with a die keychain. For the past five years, it has accompanied me as a constant reminder of the importance of meticulousness and innovation. Now, as a teacher myself, I actively seek opportunities to acknowledge such traits in my own students. Whether it’s through a note of praise or highlighting their creative approach, I aim to instill the same sense of validation and encouragement that to this day remains with me.