“Your score is low. You are at a risk of failing the class. Schedule one-on-one Zoom meeting at the earliest,” noted an email from Professor ABC of Probability and Statistics course at Harvard Extension School.
Do you remember your class failures?
I resonate with the nerdy character Sheldon Cooper from the TV show, The Big Bang Theory, most popular geeky comedy series in the world. My family paints a picture of me as a nerd as I am pursuing my Masters in Harvard Extension School. The picture tore apart when I received that email.
A brief understanding of probability is required to say, “all probabilities add up to 1.” However, in the assignment, I stated probability adds up to 10,000. As I glanced my professor remarks, my lips involuntarily uttered, “Oh-No!” How could I submit an assignment stating probability adds up to 10,000? How could I ignore basic math 101? How could I create such a blunder? Submission with a blank answer would be better than making a fool out of myself.
My confidence to pass the class, my determination to complete my graduation, and my belief system crashed. I labeled myself as “dumb” “incompetent” “incapable” and “not worthy enough.” The only path ahead of me was to hide in the closet forever. My brain pondered upon a question, “How did the professor rate my level of dumbness?” Ironically, I possess a track record as one of the school toppers. Did my level of smartness stoop so low?
My dream as a Harvard graduate faded away into darkness. I, no longer, intended to meet the professor or my classmates.
