The Black Jelly Bean Lesson
One of the most profound lessons in my life came from my sixth-grade teacher, Mr. Hagerman. In fact, it centers around one of my favorite candies, jelly beans. The Black Jelly Bean Lesson has shown up in my life when I have needed extra encouragement and self-motivation.
In 1974 I was in sixth grade at Geiger Elementary School in Tacoma, Washington. My teacher was a very tall, military-like man whom we all called Mr. Hagerman. Not until I was an adult did I learn his full name; Roy Hagerman.
Knowing what I know now, he was a teacher ahead of his time. He understood the empowerment of females (little girls) and people of color prior to #BLM and the #Metoo movements.
Did I Make the Cut?
At Geiger, the rumor was that Mr. Hagerman only picked the best students to be in his class. On the last day of 5th grade, I was brave enough to walk right up to him and ask. “Mr. Hagerman, can I be in your class next year? I hear you only want the best and that’s me.” With a slight pause and a straight back, only moving his chin down ever so slightly to glance at me, he said, “We’ll see.” Needless to say, I worried all summer, wondering if I made the cut. After a long summer, the first day of school was the best because I had been selected (or assigned) to Mr. Hagerman.
Black Means Excellence
On the very first day of class, Mr. Hagerman asked the class, “What is the best jelly bean in the bag?” My classmates yelled out, red, pink, yellow… I said, orange. He let all 25 of my classmates yell their favorite jelly bean in hopes of him sharing them with us. He returned to the front of the room, after pacing around, to tell us all “NO! The best is the black jelly bean,” he said. He went on to add…
“The reason is that if you look in the bag there are very view. They are rare. Plus, the flavor of licorice lingers longer than any of the others. In my class, very few of you will get black beans.“
To receive a black jelly bean meant you had an A+ and he rarely gave out A’s. Each color represented grades: A-, B+, B-, C, etc. As the only African American kid in the class, I felt like the jelly bean. I did my best to always earn the black jelly bean.
Female Team Captain
I’ll never forget my first time playing football. Did I mention I was as tom-boy? The teams were selected and to show that girls could lead in any sport, Mr. Hagerman selected me as one of the team captains. He never gave girls a different role than the boys. Regardless of the sport, football or soccer girls led and had the same goals. To make a long story short, the game was tied, and it was the last play of the game. The ball was kicked and went high in the sky. I jumped to catch the ball and when my feet landed on the ground, I started running like the wind to make the big touch down. I heard people screaming and cheering but quickly learned after I crossed the line for the winning touchdown, that I made a touchback – the other team won. Humiliated, I walked like Charlie Brown across the field, back to my desk.
Hold Your Head High
The classroom was filled with chatter. Mr. Hagerman didn’t look at me. He just brought the class to order and said…
“Everyone is laughing and talking about the person who made a mistake. Mistakes are a learning opportunity, so she is ahead of all of you. She will take the information and become a better person because through our mistakes, we win.”
He made me raise my head. He told me to never forget this lesson, and at that very moment, I got it. I felt special and undefeated.
I stayed in touch with Mr. Hagerman until his death. He was an amazing man and mentor, not just to me but to thousands of children that attended Geiger. This little girl was forever changed by the Black Jelly Bean Lesson.
Who were/are your mentors? Did you have Mr. Hagerman as a teacher? Let me know in the comments!