By Sami Hoffer
Megan’s Problems“Math is so hard.” Megan plopped her tablet onto the table and crossed her arms. “I can’t do this.”
The clock read ten minutes until lunch, and she hadn’t finished all of her math problems. Megan’s teacher, Ms. Nelson, had just taught Megan’s second-grade class about multiplication. To practice, Ms. Nelson assigned multiplication problems on the students’ tablets to work on every day before lunch.
“I’m almost done with my problems,” Oliver said from across the front table. “It isn’t too hard.”
“I can’t get mine either, Megan,” Thomas chimed in. “But we have to finish them so we can play dodgeball at recess. Ms. Nelson said we’ll have to stay in if we don’t get them done before lunch.”
“We should hurry,” Megan said as she picked up her tablet again. She loved dodgeball and didn’t want to miss recess.
Ten minutes later, Ms. Nelson announced it was time for lunch.
“Yay! I got all my problems done.” Megan shut off her tablet and went to put it in her cubby.
“I’m going to beat you at dodgeball today.” Oliver put his tablet in his cubby too.
“No, I’m going to win,” Megan said confidently.
Thomas grinned. “What about me? I’ll beat both of you.”
“Not a chance,” Oliver said.
After lunch, Megan held her dodgeball tightly. Her team was down to three players, and the other team had two. Megan watched her teammate Thomas throw his ball at Oliver. It brushed against his leg.
“You’re out, Oliver!” Thomas shouted.
“It didn’t hit me,” Oliver called back.
Megan planted her fists on her hips. “Yes, it did hit you.”
Oliver didn’t say anything and continued to play. Megan looked at their teacher, but she was watching some students jump rope. She hadn’t seen what had happened. He’s out! Should I tell Ms. Nelson? Megan chewed her lip, trying to decide what to do.
Thomas waved his hands above his head. “Watch out, Megan!”
Megan twisted to the side just in time, and the ball sailed past her.
The game continued as if nothing had happened, and soon it was down to just Megan and Oliver.
“You can do this, Megan,” Thomas hollered from the sideline.
Megan squished the ball in her hand. She took a deep breath and threw the ball. For a moment, it was on a straight path toward Oliver, but Oliver ducked out of the way. Oliver threw his ball, and it hit Megan’s shoulder.
“We win!” Oliver rushed to cheer with his teammates.
Megan shook her head and walked off the court.
“That was unfair,” Thomas said. “Our team should have won. Oliver was out before the end.”
“I know,” Megan replied. Oliver hadn’t played fairly.
The next day, Megan sat at the front table with her tablet. Ms. Nelson had more multiplication problems for her and her classmates to do. Oliver sat next to her, and she could see his tablet’s screen. He wasn’t doing his multiplication problems. He was playing a game.
“Megan, did you finish your math?” whispered Thomas, who was on Megan’s other side.
“Not yet,” Megan said. “Did you finish yours?”
“No, but I don’t want to do it. I’m going to play a game like Oliver.”
“We’ll get in trouble! We’re only supposed to play games when Ms. Nelson says we can.” Megan scrunched her eyebrows together.
Thomas shrugged. “She won’t know.”
Megan looked over her shoulder. Ms. Nelson was helping another student. A minute later, she walked to the front table.
Megan held her breath. Thomas and Oliver were still playing games on their tablets. Megan wasn’t playing games, but she wasn’t doing her math problems either.
Ms. Nelson stood right behind Thomas’ chair. She looked disappointed. “Has everyone been playing games this entire time?”
Nobody said a word.
Ms. Nelson sighed. “Today, everyone at this front table will have lunch in the classroom and stay inside for recess time to finish the math problems.”
“But Ms. Nelson–” Thomas tried to protest.
“No buts.” Ms. Nelson’s voice was firm. “That is my decision. I’m sad you chose to play instead of doing your schoolwork.”
As Ms. Nelson turned to walk away, Oliver slipped out of his seat.
“Ms. Nelson, I wasn’t playing games on my tablet. Can I go to lunch and recess?” Oliver’s voice was so quiet Megan could barely hear him.
Ms. Nelson bent closer to Oliver. “You’re sure you weren’t playing games?”
Oliver nodded.
“Okay, Oliver,” Ms. Nelson said. ”You can go to lunch and recess.”
Oliver was playing games. I wasn’t playing games. How does he get to go to recess, and I don’t? Megan thought. This is the same thing that happened at recess yesterday. Oliver doesn’t care whether what he is doing is fair or not. Megan folded her arms and slumped in her seat.
Later at home, Megan told Mom what had happened. “I had to sit with my classmates while Oliver went to lunch and recess. It was frustrating.”
“Sometimes life isn’t fair, and we have to take the consequences that weren’t meant for us,” Mom said. “You showed honor when you didn’t try to get out of the consequence.”
“What is honor?” Megan asked.
Mom smiled. “Honor is when you do what is right and show respect to the people around you. You showed honor because you respected Ms. Nelson’s decision and didn’t try to weasel around her rules. You showed respect to God because you were honest that you weren’t doing your math problems even though you weren’t playing games. I’m proud of you.”
Megan smiled too. She liked that she was honoring God and her teacher by doing the right thing.
