Mary Helen Imordino-Yang

In sixth grade, my mom signed me up for swimming lessons because I didn't know how to swim.

And until then, I'd always been a straight A student.

So I figured with a little hard work, a little application, I would get another A. But I struggled the whole time and ended up not knowing how to swim even at the end of the class.

And so the teacher gave me an F and then even shrugged and said, well, you didn't learn how to swim.

And I have to admit that that hit me a little hard because it was my first F, first non-A.

And my mom didn't really pay him to grade me.

She paid him to teach me.

And it really made me question the whole system, right?