She tries, but sometimes words slip out before she can stop her tongue. Here is the story, with apologies to all the students Wendy had the lucky opportunity to encounter during her long teaching career.

The scene was Barnes and Noble before Christmas. The store was not staffed to the maximum, a worry for those on staff who were often overwhelmed with phone calls, in-store customers, orders, shelving, stickering and unstickering…the list of tasks goes on. Wendy was working at cash wrap. The line was not that long; however, one couple took a bit longer than the man behind them could tolerate.

Because Wendy did not immediately see his immediate need to purchase his one item so he could leave immediately, he threw the word “ignorant” at her as he left. Wendy’s response: “I know ‘ignorant’ when I see it. I was a teacher for 42 years.” She apologizes to her students, as said before.

Wendy’s New Year’s resolution: more patience, less ignorance.