The Final test

CEBU, Philippines - Everybody was eager to quickly finish the last test - Mathematics. Anticipation was already beginning to fill the hallways and corridors of the school as the test papers were distributed. Each pupil was smiling - graduation and relief from schoolwork were at hand.

It was the last day of the final examinations for the graduating Grade 6 pupils. The proctor smiled seeing how spiritedly the pupils braced themselves to tackle the test questions. He fully understood why:  it was the last test of their entire grade school life.

"Okay, class, I know what's on your mind!" the proctor announced.  "But before you get carried away by happy thoughts of graduation, you must remember to keep your eyes on your own papers. Remember: Cheating is a major offense. Which means there won't be any graduation for anyone caught cheating!"

Sitting at the front row was Trixie. The girl didn't belong in the top list of the class. She was just pretty average.

But Trixie came to school well prepared that day. She studied her Math thoroughly the night before. She reviewed everything, from multiplying and dividing decimals, to measurements, to dividing fractions, to problems with mixed operations, to graphing linear functions. She exerted extra effort on Math because she was poor on her numbers.

Trixie made sure that she would pass the subject. She reviewed her notes and Math book over and over, and rested only when she felt ready enough for the next day's exams.

 Now, on the day itself, Trixie was confident that she was ready. She wrote her name nice and slow on the test paper, for the first time looking like she was in total control of herself on the subject. She even put stars for the dots on each letter "i" of her name.

Then she went on to the "decimals" part of the test. So far, so good. She breezed through it.  Next was "mixed operations," which she found easy, too.

But the part on "dividing fractions" was tough. She couldn't get through. She began to panic.

I studied this last night, Trixie thought.  How could I miss this one? Trixie tried to make sense of all the test problems but she couldn't remember exactly the procedure for solving them.

She looked at the proctor then back to her test paper. Her panic grew, almost tempting her to turn to her seatmate for help. Help meant for her classmate to reveal to her the solution to the particular test problem.

She checked if the proctor was looking. He was not. She looked down on her test paper and pondered.

Trixie did not turn to her seatmate for help. She would not cheat, not because she was afraid that the proctor would confiscate her paper and write the word "cheating" on it. The girl would not cheat because her mother's words rang in her head reminding her that cheating is bad and of the devil.

Now beginning to perspire, she closed her eyes and prayed. "Please, Lord, make me remember the procedure," she muttered. "You know I have studied this, Lord, please help me."

She slowly opened her eyes. Still the procedure eluded her mind. She just couldn't remember. She was sweating all the more profusely. Her hands and feet trembled and she felt her whole body weakening.

All hopes were slipping away from her. Trixie became desperate and she was too close to turning to her seatmate. Then, again her mother's words rang: "Better to get zero than to cheat, my dear."  Trixie closed her eyes again and prayed. "Lord, please help me." 

This time, when she opened her eyes she saw her test paper lying upside down on her desk. Bingo! The procedure came clear: First, turn the second fraction upside- down.  Second, multiply the first fraction by that reciprocal. Third, simplify the fraction! Trixie remembered it!

She smiled, clasped her hands.  Yes! she thought. Then she looked up to the small altar beside the blackboard in front and whispered her thanks.

When the test was over, Trixie felt proud to have resisted the temptation to cheat. She was glad to have realized that there really is no reason to cheat in tests if you study your lessons well enough.  She now knew too that the effort must go with a little prayer; and that sometimes a it takes a little while for a prayer to get an answer.

When Trixie reached home, she ran to her mother and hugged her. "Thank you, Mama. Thank you very much," she told her. (FREEMAN)