Second Chances

My classes have been going pretty well this semester.  It's nice to be in smaller classes where everyone knows each other and the professor knows you.  I'm currently taking:

• Biological Chemistry
• Organometallic Chemistry
• The Teaching Process
• Adapting Instruction for Students with Disabilities
• Database Management

So that scary sounding class, the Organometallic Chemistry class, is being taught by the head of my department and there are only eight students in the class.  The one problem with my taking this class is that I have not yet taken one of the prerequisites for this class which is Inorganic Chemistry.  The instructor gave me approval to go ahead and take this class anyway and there is another student in the same boat as mean.  It just means that I have to work a little harder  to get by.

Well, last week on our weekly quiz, I totally bombed it.  Big time.  I got a whopping 5 out of 20.  We graded each others papers so I knew I did poorly right away.  And since there are only 8 people in the class, everyone knew I did crappy.  I felt pretty crappy about it too.  In fact, I was down right embarrassed.  I figured I'd just have to suck it up and deal with it, but I was amazed to find that when I got my paper back yesterday, my professor wrote in the top corner that I could retake it. 

I was amazed and so glad that my professor believes in second chances.  She recognized that I had my answers completely backwards and that I could do better.  She even wrote a whole new quiz for me.  I retook it this morning and I got them all right!  Yay!  I'm think it's important that teachers recognize the potential students have and give second chances when necessary.

Have you ever been given a second chance?