Why I am an Engineer

Mrs. G taught us 11th and 12th grade English Lit. I was bored, nearly to tears, those two years in English class. Part of it was certainly the syllabus - The Tempest, Stories from East and West, and that dreary, dreary Great Expectations. But most of it, I attribute to Mrs. G. I missed terribly, the wit and sarcasm of Mrs. P who took us through The Merchant of Venice, often with a sense of humour entirely inappropriate for a class of 14 year olds. Mrs. G on the other hand, stuck closely to the prescribed teaching model.

Mrs. G and I mostly ignored each other's existence. I was content to either read ahead or doodle, and I guess she'd flagged me someone who would not/could not contribute to class discussions. Only one time, did we ever come into conflict.

Our term papers consisted of 5 essay questions, each for 20 marks. One of the questions I had to answer went something like 'Prospero is a perfect man. State whether you agree and explain why.'

Of course, I disagreed. Prospero for all his purported wisdom seemed like a very childish man. Imagine wrecking your enemies' ship, terrifying them into repentance with magical illusions, and then proclaiming that you forgive them. What meaning does forgiveness have when you've already wreaked vengeance? I wrote an indignant essay on why Prospero was, most decidedly, NOT a perfect man.

Admittedly, my essay was one sided (I never have been known for my balanced views), but it relied on the facts in the play. My interpretation of these facts, however, was unconventional and Mrs. G did not approve. I received my corrected term paper with a low mark - mostly because Mrs. G had marked my essay wrong, completely wrong, and had given me a zero. On an essay question!

I protested that the question had asked if I agreed and as I didn't, my essay was perfectly valid as it described my point of view. What was wrong with evaluating it on its own merits, particularly as it was substantiated with quotes from the text? No, said Mrs. G, a great many experts had studied The Tempest and had each come to the view the Prospero was in fact a perfect man. There was no question of a 12th grader disagreeing with the 'experts'. My essay was fundamentally wrong because Prospero was a perfect man. The experts had said so. After a long and protracted argument, Mrs G grudgingly allowed me 5 marks. As she noted it on my paper, she added in brackets 'grace marks'.

Mrs. G was, I think, partially responsible for my decision to take up the sciences. I'd been debating between the arts and the sciences and her blinkered outlook pushed me towards the sciences. Hard facts, I thought, blacks and whites, rights and wrongs. The blissful joy of not having to select your shade of grey (and be told it was wrong.) And so I signed up for Chem. Engg. Which is a different story.

Mrs. G - I'm sure you ushered many, many students into world of literature. I see a facebook fan page for you, proclaiming you the best teacher evah! In retrospect, I wonder if perhaps I was drawing a parallel between you and Prospero. Both lauded as perfect, but in my eyes, you fell so painfully short.