President’s Weekly Messages to Students

It was a mistake

Monday, September 26, 2022

Dear Kingsborough students,

One day, day, Albert Einstein was teaching his class multiplication and wrote on the board the following on the board 9 X 10 = 91.  The whole class broke out in laughter, because Einstein make a mistake.  The correct answer to 9 X 10 is obviously 90, not 91 so the students began to make fun of him.  
 
Einstein waited for everyone to be silent and said: despite the fact that I analyzed 9 problems correctly, no one congratulated me, but when I made one mistake, everyone started laughing. This means even if a person is successful, society will only notice the mistake. I saw this story online and it resonated with me.  And I immediately wanted to share it with you.  I have made so many mistakes in life, in fact we all have.  I am learning every day that if you make a mistake, admit, learn from it and try not to repeat it.  That's the hard part because we are all human. Mistakes are a part of the process.  Remember that the only person who never makes a mistake is someone who does nothing.

What I know for sure, is that you are all doing something and in many cases you are doing a lot. I am in awe of your drive and determination. Not only are you a college student, but many of you are juggling being a parent, juggling your personal life, work, taking care of your family and many other responsibilities. Mistakes might occur, but that so no reason to give up or throw in the towel.  If you are experiencing challenges, we have the resources to help. Check out the student resources page at: https://www.kbcc.cuny.edu/studres/index.html.

Have a great week

President Schrader