A Student and her Tardy Teachers

In which a student learns that in dealing with a pile, mass matters.

An AI-generated painting in traditional Japanese style of a teacher sitting behind a table grading a large pile of papers. — A teacher grading papers. Image generated with AI by DALL-E.

A student came to visit a Master, and asked: “Master, I need your guidance. Some of our teachers take weeks or even months to grade our tests. By the time we receive the results, we can hardly remember the questions.”

“I see,” said the Master. “It is difficult to correct mistakes when they are allowed to linger for so long. Do the teachers provide an explanation for their tardiness?”

“Yes, Master”, said the student. “They say we need to be patient because they have this massive pile of tests to grade. However there are other teachers who grade our tests on the same day.”

“I see. And do you observe a difference between the teachers that are quick and the ones that are tardy?”

The student gave the Master a bewildered look, but the Master was looking East, towards the snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji.

The student followed his gaze, and at that moment, she was Enlightened.

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Article index

Scrum: A Scrum Koan; A Daily Scrum Koan; Scrum and the Road to Enlightenment; The Developer who did Everything Right; The Pathway to Heaven is Paved with Thoughtful Questions; A Story Point Koan; Zen and the Definition of Done
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Collaboration: An Inquiry into Liberating Structures (part I) ★; Zen and the Paradox of Liberating Structures; Exploring the 1-2-4-All Micropattern (An Inquiry into Liberating Structures, part II) ★; Scattered to the Four Winds; Exploring The Nine Whys (An Inquiry into Liberating Structures, part III) ★; Zen and the Nature of Scale
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Marketing: SEO (Mostly) Doesn’t Matter. Focus on the Audience Instead (Part I); SEO (Mostly) Doesn’t Matter. Focus on the Audience Instead (Part II); The Three Shoemakers
Philosophy: Zen and the Principles of Construction; Zen and the Lazy Workers’ Boss; Zen and the Three Door Problem; Zen and the Art of Decision-Making; Zen and the Overzealous Student; Zen and the Feelings of AI; Zen and the Complaining Students; Zen and the Quest for Truth; The Tradesman’s New Kimono; Zen and the Meaning of Why; Zen and the Art of Collaboration; Zen and the Nine Whys; Zen and the Perils of Micromanagement; Zen and the Nature of Quality; Zen and the Nature of Thought
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