Is poise the word?

It’s 7:15 am. I’m in a room with about 100 people. A young woman has been asked to read a page from a book. It is about six paragraphs, 14 point type, laminated page. I’ve heard it many times and read it some too.

She starts off loud, clear, steady. In the second sentence she mispronounces a word. A common word. Or, as I thought at the time, an easy word. I know I looked at her as she went on as if nothing had happened, so I know others did too. Seconds later, she again mispronounces a word, and easy, everyone knows that word, word. This time there was a reaction from the the group. Maybe not an actual audible but something that she was able to feel, react too. She slowed a bit and became a bit quieter as she finished the remainder of that sentence.

She paused briefly, a breath is all. She began the next line with the same volume and clear steady pace as she had began with. Then she did something that looked obvious as well as easy. I am sure it was not either for most. She stopped at the next word, the next easy word, that she did not know and asked the person to her right, “How do you say this word?” She looked at it, went back to the beginning of the sentence and read it like she had done it a hundred times.

Next she did something that really surprised me. I have no idea why it did. I do not know still why it made such an impression on me. It just did. The next word she needed help with, not long at all after that last one, she again stopped and asked. Only this time, she asked the person on her left, “How do you say this word?” Look, start over, sound like she always knew.

This happened seven times. Back and forth between them she asked for help. She was as loud, as clear, as steady as she had started. She made every correction perfectly.

It took twice as long as it usually did to finish that reading. It was a thousand times more meaningful, insightful, helpful to me, after she had finished it. Instead of the usual perfunctory applause that come after just about no one listens to the reading, she received a loud, long and appreciative round of applause.

I do not know why I am so taken by that scene, that event, that moment. My limited vocabulary can only come up with poise. Courage, strength, self confidence, heck I don’t know! It was just really very moving and cool. I do not do it, nor her, justice in this description.

I wish I could remember who taught me to read. What a wonderful gift. I believe I would have wilted had I been in her place. She, on the other hand smiled, a big beautiful smile of success as she lay down the page and took in the appreciation being given her.

Wow.

Ant-Knee