Lessons from the battle...

Good evening!

First things first, thank you so much for the comments and words of encouragement. I really appreciate it, at first I thought I was being a bit stubborn but your words let me know that I was on the right track.

So guess what happened today? I spoke to her (the teacher) again, this time in front of the class, and she told me she now understands where I’m coming from and that I’d get my points for the assignment and if I’d like, I could still write my letter of protest.  After class, she pulled me aside and apologized for being unfair and she’d been a bit biased after reading the other plagiarized documents. That apology felt great, not because I won this “battle” but because my instructor understands how important my name is to me- if you have a tainted reputation, your credibility and your “word” is shot to hell, that’s no way to succeed in life.

I thanked her for the apology and then went back to lab. Then I took the time to drink in that moment and after that I thought back to how things went down in class that afternoon….

We’d all settled down to listen to the lecture for the day but a feeling of uncertainty still loomed over the class. We weren’t sure if she still expected us to get that essay in to her, so one of the guys, let’s call him Ralph, asked if she’d be okay with a bibliography instead. It would have all our works cited and cover any questions plagiarism. The instructor refused and insisted that the essay be turned in. The class got quiet, I was waiting for someone to say something – earlier in the day, a couple students said they wouldn’t stand for the injustice and they would fight this. Basically, they gave me the impression that they would actually say something in class- after a few seconds (felt like hours), I decided to make my case.

I spoke up because I wanted her to know that if I had to give up my points, I’d be doing so unwillingly. I wanted her to know how unfair this situation was and because I’d feel better knowing I went down fighting. It’s like the weird analogy my boyfriend uses every time he fights me on something he knows will never change, he always says “I am like the chicken that screams and kicks as its being dragged to the chopping block. The chicken knows it can’t change the situation but it wants everyone to know he’s not happy with it and the butcher will know the chicken fought a good fight till the end” he usually says it in Ibo (he’s trying to teach me how to speak Ibo) - I am paraphrasing and a few things probably got lost in translation but you catch my drift, yes?

So like the chicken, I went down fighting and waited for the final verdict. The funny thing is, as I made my case no one said a word to back me up, there were a few whispers from Ralph and a couple students in the back , telling me to, hush up and be quiet…..

When the instructor said, “You’re right, I understand.”  They all perked up, got their voices back, smiles went back on their faces… they’d won the battle J

I suppose they missed the part where I kept reiterating to the teacher that I was arguing for myself and not for anyone else.  True, it would’ve been nice if they’d helped but in the long run it didn’t really matter to me.

Let me share a story with you, going off on a tangent but just hang in there with me! My dad always told me this story whenever I’d get in trouble trying to fight for other people (he eventually stopped – I finally got the point) When he was younger he got a job with a bank and got along with everyone. He was very outgoing and people were drawn to him. One day, his fellow co-workers got together and complained about the issues they were having with management. He got riled up and suggested they sit down and talk with their boss. Everyone agreed and voted him in as the spokesperson because he’d do a better job of communicating the issues they were dealing with. He agreed, went in to speak to the boss. He explained the situation to the manager and the guy smiled and said, “if you can get everyone to sign a petition today asking for these changes, I give you my word, all the changes requested will be implemented.”  He left the office excited with the progress he’d just achieved, grabbed a pen and paper and went looking for his colleagues. At the end of the day, he went back to the boss with only one signature on that paper – Akpan, the messenger, had gladly stepped up to the plate. His boss smiled, got up, gave him a pat on the back, and then said, “I hope you learned your lesson. People will always disappoint you and some people have no problem sacrificing others for what they want. If you ever plan on fighting a battle make sure you’re fighting something you’ll be proud of."

Now, the old me would’ve been hurt and probably refuse to speak to them but at this time, I really believe my classmates did what they had to do; and I did what I had to do. I fought hard for my grades and that’s all that matters.

Wow, I really need to start making my entries shorter… Thank you for the prayers. See you at the next entry!!