A Classroom Experience that Defies Diminishing Marginal Utility by Alice

A Classroom Experience that Defies Diminishing Marginal Utility by Alice - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

At the beginning of every class, Mr. Clement walks over to the blackboard, where the Quote of the Day is written, big and bold, ready to uplift a class of half-asleep second-period economics students. He reads the quote in his characteristically-energetic, resonating voice, and the class echoes this inspiring moment with the classic “Amen.” That’s how every single B Day of my junior year of high school started, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Mr. Clement undeniably added much to my reserve of knowledge: comparative and absolute advantage, open market operations, efficiency wages, the monetary system, but the most important lesson I’ve learned from him is the utility of humor. Even with the best leading and lagging indicators, the economy can often be predictably unpredictable. And so is life. Although preparation is key, life throws hurdles that sting like stagflation. Mr. Clement was and will always be an incredibly influential person in my life because he faced every day, every problem, every economic topic with confidence and just the right amount of jest. His tangents about the state of his Birkenstocks or the time he experienced anaphylactic shock due to a bee sting in the middle of lectures on production possibilities frontiers added insane levels of color to a subject that I initially perceived as strictly black and white.

His persona showed me the value of humor in fostering genuine human connection with others and the importance of investing time in other people. I remember one specific instance when Mr. Clement was discussing how countries that have inward-oriented policies regarding trade rarely succeed in the long run. Only by interacting with the rest of the world does true development take place; knowledge is a public good, and a closed mind is as effective as a closed economy. For all of us, our dominant strategies should be to pour as much time into others as possible. And this results in an equilibrium in which all benefit. Nash would be proud.