The Learnable Moment
posted in Communications, Customer Service, Millionaire Mind MoJo |
A Teaching Story
During my second month of nursing school, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?”
Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired, a woman in her fifties, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.
Before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. “Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your care, even if all you do is smile and say hello.”
I’ve never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.
— Joanne C. Jones quoted in The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace by Jack Kornfield