One Way to Make "A's in English (Cont.)
Screen 3 of 3By this time, I was quite uncomfortable about the whole the whole thing. I didn't want to "squeal" on my friends, but I knew I had to change that phony "a" by my name back to a zero or tell Miss Thomas what I had done and ask her to change it.
During the next week, she did not put the roll book on my desk again and so I could not change the grade myself. Therefore, one afternoon after school I went to her room and hesitatingly told her what I had done expecting her to scream at me and perhaps take me to the principal. But she was not upset at all. She appeared not even to be surprised. She saw the quizzical look on my face.
"Oh, I knew you had done that, Chester," she said calmly, "and I was hoping you would tell me about it before I changed the grade back to zero."
"How did you know? I asked in amazement. "How could you have known? You were not looking when I did it."
"Oh, teachers have ways of knowing. They just do," she replied while slowly turning the page of the roll book. She paused for a moment so that I could see the dim carbon copy under the original sheet where our names were listed.
"You see, Chester," she continued with a quiet confidence I had not seen before, "the particular pencil I use makes a legible carbon copy on this next page. Marks made by any other kind of pencil will not show through, and therefore onlywhat I write with my pencil can be seen on the carbon copy.
Now fascinated by what she was saying, I looked more carefully at both pages--the original and her secret carbon. Specifically did I examine the mark after my own name. On the original sheet there was the doctored "a", but on the carbon it was an unmistakable "o" The tail I had added to make the "a" on the original was not discernible on the copy!
I was astounded--and of course chagrined. "Just wait, I tell the other boys. They won't believe it!" I exclaimed. The remark was not intended for Miss Thomas, but she heard it.
"Oh, I wouldn't tell them" she added with quiet amusement. "I know who they are, and their original zero's which you can plainly see on the carbon copy will stand as I entered them. They and their parents will find out soon enough--when report cards come out next week."
Another long pause. She was for the first time that semester in control of the situation, and she knew it.
"Thank you for coming in Chester. Please give your mother my regards." With this, she closed the roll book and began putting on her coat.
The interview was over, and I left the room quietly with only a mumbled, "Yes, ma'am. I will."
Chester C. Travelstead
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