A Moment of Respect by Nithara
Nitharaof Chandler's entry into Varsity Tutor's December 2017 scholarship contest
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A Moment of Respect by Nithara - December 2017 Scholarship Essay
A few years ago I worked on a group project for my Physics class. We had to build an electric mini house, complete with switches, furniture, and carpeting. As we formed groups, I sought out two of my friends. I didn’t notice that one of my classmates, Derek, stood off to the side awkwardly. As our teacher called out, “Is there anyone without a group?” Derek raised his hand hesitantly. The class snickered. Derek was a special needs student, and had trouble communicating with other people. Our class could be cruel, especially to people like him.
Ms. Len, our teacher, called two groups over, mine and another. She asked if either of our groups would be willing to take Derek. Before I could open my mouth to say yes, a member of the other group spoke. “Ugh. We don’t want him. Let’s flip a coin. Loser gets Derek.” On hearing this, my blood boiled. Derek was standing right there, and could hear every word being said. What made them think that it was okay to treat a human being like this, to speak about Derek as if he were an object? I pointedly looked at the other group member and said, “No, WE will NOT flip a coin. We want Derek.” I then motioned to Derek to come and join my group, while the other group walked away in a huff. My group easily accepted him. This experience taught me that the ultimate strategy for success on a school project is respecting each group member and their opinions.
By taking Derek in, we brought him into a group that cared about him and valued his opinions. He was free to be his best self. He ended up providing crucial feedback while creating the house. It was mostly due to him that our electrical circuitry worked. We made sure he knew there were people who cared about him, and we listened to and incorporated suggestions that he had. He felt supported and safe in our group, and therefore trusted us and collaborated with us. This ultimately led to our success on the project, but more importantly to our success as a group.
