Make the Most of Opportunities

It is wise to encourage our Esperanza educators and scholars to make the most of opportunities to grow and learn rather than to make excuses. There is a wonderful story that I really like that supports this.

Louis Agassiz, a distinguished naturalist, was approached by an obscure spinster woman who insisted that she had never had a chance to learn. In response, Dr. Agassiz asked her to consider the chances for learning that she already had:

"What do you do?" he asked.

“I skin potatoes and chop onions."

"Madame, where do you sit during these interesting but homely duties?"

“On the bottom step of the kitchen stairs."

“Where do your feet rest?"

“On the glazed brick."

“What is glazed brick?"

“I don’t know, sir."

“How long have you been sitting there?"

“Fifteen years."

“Madam, here is my personal card,’ said Dr. Agassiz. ‘Would you kindly write me a letter concerning the nature of a glazed brick?”

The woman took the challenge seriously. She read all she could find about brick and tile and then sent Dr. Agassiz a 36-page paper on the subject. Back came the letter from Dr. Agassiz: "Dear Madam, this is the best article I have ever seen on the subject. If you will kindly change the three words marked with asterisks, I will have it published and pay you for it."

A short time later there came a letter that brought $250, and penciled on the bottom of this letter was this query: ‘What was under those bricks?’ She had learned the value of time and answered with a single word: "Ants." He wrote back and said, "Tell me about the ants."

After wide reading, much microscopic work, and deep study, the spinster sat down and wrote Dr. Agassiz 360 pages on the subject. He published the book and sent her the money, and she went to visit all the lands of her dreams on the proceeds of her work.