Teacher's Pet

In fourth grade the last exam in Social Studies was on twentieth century inventors. I had gotten a 100% on every exam up until that last one. On the last exam I got a 97. Miss Lingel, my fourth grade teacher asked the following question on the test: name 2 inventions by Thomas Alva Edison. And I wrote the light bulb and the movie projector. Miss Lingel marked me wrong for my movie projector answer. She also marked Edward Ermini’s test wrong too as he also wrote movie projector as his answer.

Edward was a friend of mine. He was an average student who sometimes got in trouble with Miss Lingel. She wasn’t that crazy about Edward but I was teacher’s pet so I told him not to worry. I would discuss the movie projector answer/marking us wrong thing with Miss Lingel and get it all straightened out. I had absolutely no doubt that I was correct and she was wrong. I had just written my fourth grade report on Thomas Edison so clearly I was the expert. Even at age 9.

So I went up to the teacher’s desk and very politely asked Miss Lingel why she had marked my answer wrong. And she told me firmly that Thomas Edison had not invented the movie projector—it was someone else. She showed me in our textbook the absence of the term movie projector on the list of Edison’s inventions. She also hinted that perhaps since I had gotten a 97 on the exam that the 3 extra points was inconsequential anyway—an “A” was an “A”. But while that was true, those 3 points for Edward was the difference between a 77 and an 80. For him, that was very consequential. That was the difference between a “C” and a “B.” I also thought that just because our textbook didn’t list movie projector as one of Edison’s inventions, it didn’t mean he didn’t invent it.  

But I nodded my head, said nothing more and went back to my seat. Edward whispered to me: So? And I told him: She says we’re wrong. But I couldn’t let it go. So after I finished my classwork I raised my hand asked Miss Lingel if I could go to the library and return my overdue library book. Since the others in the classroom were still working, she said yes. And off I went. I tossed my overdue library book into the return bin and immediately went to the encyclopedias to look up Thomas Edison. (If I was in fourth grade nowadays I could have just gone to the back of the classroom and googled Thomas Edison from the classroom computer--  but in 1970 we had to actually go to a library and get a real  book and look it up). And lo and behold, in the World Book encyclopedia, as clear as day, the movie projector was indeed listed as one of Edison’s inventions.

I lied and told the librarian that Miss Lingel needed to borrow the encyclopedia for one of her lessons; and since the librarian knew me to be an honorable student, she allowed me to bring the book downstairs to my classroom.

I can tell you that Miss Lingel wasn’t exactly excited to learn that Edison had indeed invented the movie projector. And she wasn’t exactly that excited to have to pull out her grade book and change my grade. And she was especially not excited when I informed her that she needed to correct Edward’s paper and grade too. And after all that not-excitement she needed give me to permission to return the encyclopedia back to the library. Edward was thrilled; Miss Lingel was not.

I have read that one’s personality is nearly full formed by age 5. We change very little from the persons we were in Kindergarten. I believe that to be so. And those who have watched me through the years know that I am compelled to speak up for the Edward Ermini’s of the world. It why I got into trouble at work when they made me EEOC representative (they said I had leadership potential) and I stood up for Judy Taylor, the very well qualified African-American woman who was denied a position simply because of her race. It is why I got reprimanded from the men at Cherry Valley for questioning the fairness of billing practices for racquet members when I was the chairwoman of platform tennis. It’s why I sat on every committee on PTA and stood up to the Board of Education over their ridiculous policies.

But righteous rage and calling people out has its consequences. You may not be well liked. You become the pebble in someone’s shoe. But the trade- off is, when you snuggle into your 800 thread-count bedding at night, your conscience is clear. Justice is served and the Edward Erminis of the world are grateful. Its the gratefulness of the Edward Erminis that makes being disliked a wonderful and humbling thing. And…..being able to turn your head from Miss Lingel’s view to secretly stick your tongue out at her with a feeling of self-satisfaction, doesn’t suck either.