Meerkat in Math: An Edifying "Tail" by Savannah

Meerkat in Math: An Edifying "Tail" by Savannah - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

“We have a serious problem.”

A somber look washed over Mr. K’s face as he drew an anxiety-ridden breath and his worn eyes searched the classroom contemplatively.

“Someone filmed our class yesterday.”

An uneasy twitch traveled through the 6th period pre-calculus class on that bright Wednesday afternoon, prompting a wave of shifting eyes and restless fidgets as each of us attempt to discern the culprit.

I scour my memories, rewinding the reel of shuffled snapshots until I stumble upon my recollections of the previous day’s class. Did anything particularly unusual occur? The group of girls in the front right-hand corner of the classroom were performing their usual routine, filling up their virtual shopping carts with flowery summer dresses and brightly colored swimsuits. Nick, the senior football player, was taking his daily nap, wavering in and out of tumultuous sleep as the threat of the unit circle loomed menacingly. The guys in the upper left portion of the room had their laptops open, each one completely immersed in a different online game. An ad for Activia blasts out from their general direction, Jamie Lee Curtis urging us to buy yogurt with a vehement “get your digestive system back on track!” A sudden panicked flash of movement ensues, laptops are slammed closed, and Jamie abruptly ceases her exhortations. I was in the back corner, nibbling on my chicken salad sandwich and dividing my attention between the amusing array of scenes before me and the transformations of inverse tangent on the board. Just a typical day. Who had filmed our class, and why (besides the fact that it is perfect sit-com material)?

My thoughts are interrupted as I hear the hum of the projection board making its way down the cold brick wall to its resting place. The lights cut out. Mr. K stands by his computer as the class waits with bated breath.

A meerkat appears on the projection screen. The creature drifts to sleep, only to be awoken by his own tail striking him in the face! The cycle continues for several minutes, and the class roars with laughter. Mr. K chuckles with delight, having captured the attention of his intended victim: Nick, the sleepy meerkat of the class.

“Looks like they only recorded one person in the class,” Mr. K joked. His cursor moved, displaying the title of the Youtube video: When You Can’t Stay Awake In Math Class.

Nick got a kick out of it too, and the whole class let out a collective sigh of relief that some anonymous predator had not in fact recorded our class.

Besides that Wednesday being one of my favorite days of the year, another element stands out as significant: the lessons I learned from Mr. K. I learned that it is vital to find humor in any situation. I learned that often the mundane can become lively and uplifting if you approach it with the right attitude. And most importantly, I learned that the best teachers realize that each and every one of us has a “meerkat day”... and it is okay to laugh at ourselves every now and then.