During my second month of nursing school, our
professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious
student and had breezed through the questions, until I
read the last one: "What is the first name of the
woman who cleans the school?"
Surely, this was some kind of joke.
I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall,
dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I
handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank.
Just before class ended, one student asked if the last
question would count toward our quiz grade.
"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers,
you will meet many people. All are significant. They
deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is
smile and say 'hello'."
"I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her
name was Dorothy.
