fine print...... BOLD LESSON by Jennie Leigh

fine print...... BOLD LESSON by Jennie Leigh - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

Some of the most important lessons in life appear as small ones, and my eighth grade science teacher taught me and my class one of these important lessons in a very simple, but memorable way. It is common knowledge that most people do not like to read directions or fine print, which unfortunately can yield disastrous results such as loss of time, money, and opportunities. My science teacher, Mrs. Seifert, decided to teach my class the importance of reading directions in a very clever way: through “hidden” extra credit.
I remember when my first science test in Mrs. Seifert’s class was dropped on my desk. I remember fingering my pencil and quickly previewing the test’s contents. The front page was headed with three lines of instructions. At that point in my life, I, like most of my classmates as I later found out, variably paid attention to directions on tests because usually they said the about same thing: “Choose the correct answer for each question.” Sometimes I would read the directions word for word, but generally I just skimmed them over or ignored them completely. However, for whatever reason that day, my intuition told me that I needed to read the directions completely, so I did. And it was for good reason. Buried in the middle of the typically boring instructions to pick the best answer (blah, blah, blah) was a surprise: “If you are reading this, print “bonus” in the top right corner of your test for five extra credit points.” I read the directions three times to make sure that I had read correctly, and once I confirmed this, I carefully printed “bonus” just as the directions said before proceeding to the rest of the test.
A day or so later, we got our tests back. Along with perhaps a third of the class, I had been awarded the promised five extra bonus points. Mrs. Seifert answered some questions about the test, and before moving on to our next topic, said some encouraging words and hinted at the importance of reading directions. It was kind of an obscure clue, making sense to those who had read the directions while taking the test, and meaningless to those who hadn’t.
Mrs. Seifert’s next few tests too offered the same five extra credit points for those who dared to read the directions and print a specified word at the top. Slowly, my classmates began to catch on by rumor, by gut, or by luck. By the time the third test was completed, just about everyone had figured out how they could get their bonus points.
Although Mrs. Seifert discontinued her practice of extra points hidden in the directions after that (it was now too easy to get!), me and my classmates had all learned a valuable lesson. Now, I realize that I am not always going to be rewarded for taking the time to read directions or fine print, but I make sure to do so anyway because I do not want to waste time or miss out on opportunities. I find it amazing that such a small event like getting a few bonus points has stuck firmly in my memory four years later and changed me into an avid and careful directions reader. Both at the time and in hindsight, I found Mrs. Seifert’s lesson to be extremely valuable. Now, whether I am completing a classwork assignment for history class today, or signing papers for a bank loan ten years in the future, I know that I will remember Mrs. Seifert and feel confident that because of her lesson, I won’t be missing anything.