The Harsh Truth

   I opened the door to my third block math class, my boulder of a backpack slung over my left shoulder. I got to my seat in the back of the class and shrugged my backpack off. Ugh, stupid last name being at the end of the alphabet. I can't see a thing back here! I sighed and got ready for another boring class of formulas and simple math equations. I laid my notebook on the table, the laminated purple reflecting specks of white light into my eyes. I then pulled out my pencil and calculator and got everything setup for my non-existent OCD to be happy. The minute I actually start doing work, the desk will be a mess. Another sigh escaped my lips. Why am I such a perfectionist over the tiniest of details?
    I flipped to a blank sheet in my notebook and was about to attempt reading the whiteboard when I heard laughter flowing throughout the class. Normally only the sound of chitchat and gossiping erupts through the class, but this time it sounded as if the chuckles came from some class-wide joke I wasn't aware of. I turned my head upwards, surveying the class. Everyone seemed to be whispering to each other and giggling. I noticed many of the students pointing the board out to others and bursting into laughter. What in the world could be so funny that it warrants chuckles from the entire class? I fixed my gaze on the whiteboard and focused my vision as best as I could to see what was causing the uproar.
   On the board was a string of multiplications. It was as if we were learning the time-tables all over again. The board had a column of the simple math that nine was involved in, but there was an obvious problem. Everything from nine times one to nine times ten was displayed, but there was one answer to these common problems that had been mistaken. Nine times one equaled seven...
   The class seemed to be enjoying their finding of the teacher's mistake all-too-well. They were giggling and chatting up a storm. I admit that I also found it quite humorous that the person in control of our grades couldn't do something as simple as nine times one. The teacher opening the door caused an ominous silence to fill the room. She strode to the board in pride and turned to face the class, the corner of her mouth pulled upwards into a smug smile. "Hello class, today we are starting with a rather simple lesson."
  Her voice was as commanding as always as she turned her head toward her multiplication table. "Now as I'm sure you all can see, I have written down the multiples of nine." The sound of suppressed giggles filled the room. Despite her class enjoying her failure, the teacher continued to look smug. Did I see amusement in those eyes of hers? "Ah yes, you all must have noticed the slight error in my calculations. I assure you, this was no error on my part." She locked eye contact with each student in the room; the smug smile had become painfully noticeable.
  "I took it upon myself to teach each of you a valuable lesson today!" The class grew silent as the teacher's commanding aura took us all by surprise. "This is how you will be treated in the real world. Despite your many achievements, people will judge you for the one minuscule mistake you made. I may have gotten all of my times table correct, but since I failed to correctly solve nine times one, each of you made fun of me. I'm sure all of you in turn called me an idiot who shouldn't be teaching math. I was correct nine out of ten times, but that ten percent showed that I have no business being here. Is that correct class?"
   She received only silence. The class was so moved and shocked by her words that all we could do is stare with our mouths agape. We weren't expecting for this to be our lesson. Once the class had come to terms with what happened, we began to clap. We were star-struck. Our teacher smiled brightly as she made her way to her desk. We didn't learn any math that day, but we had learned something that would last us a lifetime. This woman had taught us the most valuable lesson in life: No matter how skilled you are, a single mistake will change how everyone views you. You can be a genius with multiple college degrees, but everyone will judge you and laugh at you for the one time you wore your shirt inside-out. That was my first true realization of the harsh realities outside of these walls.