The Story of the Egg

It was my third year of my undergraduate degree. I had to take Physics, Thermodynamics and Quantum Chemistry all at the same time. I had reached the limit of my ability to think mathematically and my heart and mind were choked with fear. I sat down to the final exam in Quantum and just blanked. It was all gone. I sat and looked at the exam for half an hour and prepared to leave. The professor had seen what I was going through and at this crucial point decided to talk to me. He did not say anything to me that addressed the content of the exam but he did make it clear to me that he thought if I could just calm down and think about something else for a minute or two and then come back to the exam with "fresh eyes" that it would make a difference.

It did, and here I am writing the exams.

I have found over the years that my proximity to a student does not necessarily lower their stress level. That said, I offer the kinderegg. Students are not allowed to bring food to the exam. But I can. As I always say ... if you find yourself in a dark corner during the exam ... eat the egg ... construct and play with the toy ... then return to the exam with fresh eyes. Any way that it works out I offer the egg to you as a gift and expression of my confidence that if you can marshall your thoughts you will find that there is a lot of good stuff bumping around in your head. The egg comes literally with my blessing, my prayers and my hopes that your life will go well.

Students have different reactions to the egg. Some eat the egg and play with the toy before they write anything. I had an entire class tell me one time after the exam that they had wanted to eat their egg but did not want to be the first to "crack" and so no one ate their egg. Several students have had such an angry rage in their hearts that they took it out on the egg (one that I am thinking off crushed hers in her hands and dropped it on my desk as she left saying "give this to someone else". Then again, I have had several students tell me after an exam that they really needed two eggs to get through that exam.

Take it or leave it. I offer it to you as a gift. I hope it helps.

Merry Christmas