Summary
"Go ahead," urged the bus driver in coaxing tone. "Ask someone to help you out by giving you a quarter."
I placed the shiny quarter in his spindly hand. His wrinkled brow softened. His eyes glistened. He turned around and feverishly headed back to fare box and dropped in the quarter. His shoulders relaxed as the quarter clanked inside the chamber. The bus driver said, "Thank you," and the young man took a seat and sat quietly next to his friends."What an ungrateful little bas***d," I could sense was the sentiment among many on the bus. For a split second, that was my sentiment too. But I remembered what my 8th grade teacher said to me during a moment in which I was particularly critical of a student for not showing any gratitude to me for helping them with a project they were having difficulty with. She said, "When we help others it is always a teachable moment. And whether we are the student or the instructor we have an opportunity to learn something about ourselves and learn something about the condition of others." This was one of those moments.At a stop along the route, three young African American men got on the bus.See the full content of this document
Extract
A Lesson Before Criticizing
I sometimes take the Metro Rapid bus work. It's my contribution toward reducing my carbon imprint on the planet. It remains a waffling choice because I just purchased a new car that I love to driv...
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