by Celso Antonio de Almeida
“And that, class, is why time passes more slowly if you travel at speed, though you need to start approaching the speed of light for the effect to be significant,” Ezra Nolan stated flatly, his eyes drifting to the clock above the whiteboard, wishing with all his strength that time, through some unlikely relativistic effect, would pass faster. Fifteen minutes left. Fifteen minutes until the end of the day, the end of the week, and one day closer to the end of his career. Thirty years of teaching high school physics, and for what? He surveyed the classroom of blank faces illuminated by cell phone screens under their desks. They probably wouldn’t remember this lesson tomorrow, let alone ten, twenty or thirty years from now.
The bell finally rang, jarring him from his rumination. The students filed out in a blur of hoodies and chatter, except for one girl who approached his desk. Alexandra, the new student – sharp, but always with a faraway look, as if this were all old news to her.
“Mr. Nolan, I was thinking to myself… After all your years of teaching, what do you think is the most important lesson you have to pass on?”
Nolan sighed. “I’m not sure there is one, Alexandra. You teach and teach, but how much ever really sinks in? How much ever makes a real difference?”
Alexandra considered him thoughtfully. “But what if it did? What if you could crystallize it all into one crucial insight – a lesson that would change lives, alter destinies? Isn’t it worth digging deep to discover what that might be?”
Nolan was taken aback by the weight of her words. “I… I’ll have to think on that,” he managed.
Over the next week, Nolan found himself turning Alexandra’s question over and over in his mind. Sifting through the sediment of three decades in the classroom, searching for the nugget of gold that made it all worthwhile. He pored over old lesson plans, stacks of student evaluations, notes from conferences. And then, all of a sudden, he saw it – the common thread that ran through his proudest moments as an educator.
On the next day, Nolan asked Alexandra to stay after class. “I’ve been pondering what you said,” he began, “and I think I’ve found my answer. The most important lesson, the one I’ve seen light up my students’ eyes again and again, is simply this: never stop asking questions. Never stop searching for truth, for meaning. Science isn’t just about memorizing facts – it’s about discovery, curiosity, wonder. It’s about always striving to learn, grow, and see things in a new light. If my students leave my classroom with that, then I’ve done my job.”
Alexandra smiled, her eyes glistening. “Thank you, Mr. Nolan. You have no idea how much that means to me… or how much it will mean.”
She turned to go, then paused. “You know, they never stop talking about you, even decades from now. The teacher who inspired a generation of scientists, visionaries, world-changers. And it all stemmed from this moment, this lesson. I should know – I was one of them.”
With that, she walked out the door, leaving Ezra Nolan slack-jawed as the pieces fell into place… His mind reeled, but one thing was crystal clear.
It seemed like he had made a difference after all.
© Celso Antonio de Almeida
Celso Antonio de Almeida is a teacher, journalist, and translator. He lives in the small town of Guareí, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, with his wife Tatiana, their children Beatrice and Davi, and their dogs Teca and Nina. It’s a good life.
Find out more on Instagram @celso_guarei.
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