Second Chances

When I was a teacher, the Texas Legislature came up with a law to keep teachers from giving 50s as a grade in place of a zero or a grade lower than 50. Apparently, it was a practice with some teachers, schools, and/or districts to have the ‘50s’ policy (so as to keep one bad grade from being so low that a student would fail a course). In order for that bill to pass, the legislation made allowances for districts to allow reteach and retest policies that allowed the failing student to replace, and/or average in that failing grade on tests and/or assignments.

There wasn’t a uniform policy in my district other than letting the principals decide what each school would do. My principal told us that she would allow no one to fail, and a teacher had to allow unlimited reteaching and retesting on every single assignment, as well as tests. We were not to average the grades, but to replace it with the highest passing score…and if an assignment was not handed in, it would be an ‘incomplete,’ until they did hand it in (having the entire year to do so.) I remember telling my own children the policy my principal stated, and they laughed their heads off. “No student will hand their work in on time, or study for a test if they don’t have to. All the work has to be done by the teachers, now.”

They were right. That policy went over like a lead balloon, with the teachers…for several reasons, but for me, I didn’t think it was fair for the person who didn’t study to get a look at the questions on the test, and then retest and get a higher score than the person who passed it the first time, without the people who passed, getting the same chance to replace their scores…and, being the union rep…I said so. The principal had an answer for that. She said we had to write comparable, and different tests to make it fair. Well, you can guess what most teachers did—the ‘50’ grade that had been outlawed, now became a 70, or the assignment could be corrected and resubmitted, or the tests became open book tests. No more work on their part.

But me, the teacher who got in trouble for voicing my objections, but nevertheless was a rule follower, wanted it to be fair for those who had studied the first time—so I worked and worked for hours of tutoring, reteaching before, during, and after school, writing multitudes of new tests (for the few that needed it.) [Note that this was before AI-technology. Now, we if could have programmed AI to write the test, it would be a different story, but not back then.]

Then, when I retired, I started learning Spanish on DuoLingo, where I was given unlimited attempts to pass off levels in lessons. Albeit, those lessons are developed through AI, so no programmer is having burnout, but I did wonder at how long I would continue those lessons, if they didn’t keep giving me 2^nd and 3^rd chances. Would I have given up? Yes! I read all about how Duolingo has used AI to figure out the passing rate, via a formula that keeps students learning, yet continuing, and the computer develops these individual programs that encourage users to keep learning and feeling successful.

Flip ahead to the same concept in the test we are given when we prove ourselves on Earth. I share a personal story that illustrated it for me. I had been having a physical therapist travel to my home 2 times a week, for 1-hour sessions, for at least 6 weeks. Monica, the therapist, went out of her way to individualize the sessions for me, amending her plans for my pain level, my healing, etc. I found we had a lot in common, in fact, I found she was much like me when I was a teacher, in that she would personally order her own equipment to bring to my sessions to challenge me when I had mastered a required skill. She also was like me, in that she loved learning so much, that she would have been happy to be in college for life. She and I loved to read, and we shared our similar opinions against the banning of books in libraries; books that were some of our favorite classics. Classics that made people think. Classics that made people want to be better, to change. Classics that were metaphors of society, helping us to form solutions and values to all the ills of the world.

It was during one of our sessions, that the Holy Ghost prompted me very strongly that I needed to give her a copy of The Book of Mormon. I intended, and wanted to do that. I knew I had a stack of Book of Mormons in our living room, but they had been for our family scripture reading, and had been marked up with children’s names and drawings all over them. I planned on buying a new one for her, thinking I would have more weeks to work with her, so I wasn’t worried.

About a week after the prompting, just as she was cleaning up to leave, she informed me that I was doing so well, that a nurse would come, and give me a test next week to see if I could test out of the rehab program. She also said that it meant, this would be her last time to see me. I was devastated! Devastated (not that I wouldn’t see her again) but devastated because I knew the Holy Ghost had prompted me so strongly to give her a Book of Mormon, and I had failed! I thought I had more time. I felt so badly, I even wondered what I would have to do to fail the nurse’s re-evaluation, so that Monica could come back.

Sunday night, I received a call from Monica. For some unknown reason, they told her to come back one more visit before the nurse came. I was overjoyed! I had been given a second chance! I went through our scripture reading stack of Books of Mormons, and found one that looked brand new. I book-marked and highlighted Christ’s visit in the Americas, sticking an Article of Faith card with the picture of Jesus and the children, in the chapter where Christ ministered to the children. I book-marked and high-lighted Moroni 10:4-5. Then I wrote how much I admired her and had loved her working with me and felt to share with her what mattered most to me—my testimony of Jesus Christ. Then I shared my testimony,  that Christ lives, and he ministers to all people in all lands, and in all times…and that The Book of Mormon was a record of His ministry as to the Native Americans, just as the Bible was a record of His ministry in the holy lands.

I gave her The Book of Mormon as she left and told her that because she was special to me, I wanted to share what was most special to me with her. We hugged, and she left. And I wept. I wept, because the Lord gave me a second chance to follow the prompting of the Holy Ghost. I do not know what will become of what I did, but I felt such joy that the Lord gave me a chance to repent, that it has since caused me to reflect on scriptural references where others were given 2^nd chances.

At first, I felt like the son in Matthew 21:28, who was asked to go work in the father’s vineyard. I was the one who said, “I go, sir: and went not.” But because I was given a 2^nd chance, I was able to ‘repent’ and work in the vineyard.

I have since thought of Jonah, and how he took his 2nd chance and preached to the wicked people in Nineveh. I thought of Alma, the Younger and the sons of Mosiah, had 2^nd chances. What wonderful missions they completed, putting all their effort, faith, and diligence into their second chance. I have thought about Saul/Paul’s second chance after his call to repentance—how he gave everything he was, to commit to the Lord’s work, in spite of his thorn in the flesh and trials. I thought how Heavenly Father must have known their very nature, what their character really was, to give them that chance at redemption.

Then I thought of the prodigal son, and the metaphor that we all are prodigal sons, who ALL have 2^nd, 3^rd, 4^th, and innumerable chances to repent after we inevitably make choices akin to squandering the inheritance we all could have, but Jesus Christ intervened. He was the Savior in God’s Eternal Plan, who made it possible for us not only to have our agency to choose to live where we want to live for eternity, in the body we choose to have for eternity, and with whom we want to live forever, but because Christ intervened, for us, we have multiple chances to erase our unworthiness, becoming clean and worthy to return and live with our Father in Heaven.

Christ, who didn’t need a 2^nd chance (who passed the test with flying colors) suffered for us, and atoned for us, because He knew who we were. He knew who we could be, in spite of where we are on this Covenant Path. He, the only one who didn’t need to take the test again, would suffer and die for us to give us all the chances we need to redeem ourselves, to work in the vineyard, and choose to live in His presence. I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers us. What will you do with your many chances?