A Heart-Warming Encounter

A Scribe’s Story

Dragging my feet, I entered the college and went off to look for my supervisor. This was my second assignment as an exam scribe to a student with learning difficulties.

I was nervous. I remembered my first assignment which I felt I had botched. Yes, I had fulfilled the allotted task but my severely sight-impaired student had occasionally during the exam impatiently implied I hadn’t.

We had taken turns in trying to mask our frustrations; he at his visual shortcomings and irritated by my British accent and I because I didn’t want to admit I, at times, couldn’t understand his strong Irish accent. I’d had to ask him a few times to repeat or had to confirm that what I had read out loud to him was what he had actually intended to say. His curt replies at times questioned my cognitive ability.

All said and done, we managed and I’m sure he passed his exam.

So here I was back in the college, wondering whether I should be attempting once again, to support another student. Did I have the balanced ability, to transcribe, for someone dependant on my skills, his thoughts and knowledge onto paper?

Again there might be the same stumbling blocks; the extra burden of an unfamiliar accent for the student, my difficulty in picking up the nuances and colloquialisms of the strong Irish accent, and even my spelling which I’d noted was not as dependable as it had once been.

Despite my misgivings, I accepted, hoping that with a second chance I’d be more successful, and be left with a happier memory.

And there he was, the student to whose aid I had been called upon. Small in stature, his eyes behind thick, round glasses squinted at me in the friendliest of faces I’d encountered in a long time. Other details are lost, tucked away as unimportant so taken up was I with this young man who was going out of his way to show his appreciation and make me feel comfortable. I relaxed.

Sharing his infectious smile, we shook hands. And then off we went to the examination room. He yapping away about his family connections to the college, and his favourite subjects.

He was sitting for a health and safety examination, a subject he explained to me he liked a lot. My supervisor had informed me that because of his special needs (severe dyslexia) he was to be given an extra 30 minutes to finish the exam. My job was to read out the questions and write down his answers without providing any contextual help whatsoever. In principle, to write it as he said it. Once I’d re-read his answers, he could change things if necessary.

All things clarified, we set off.

I think we had an hour and a half for three sections divided into a few multiple-choice questions and open questions. I tried my best to write legibly and every time I apologetically asked him to repeat something, he too would apologise before providing me with his answer. A ping-pong match if ever.

I loved the way he closely listened to me reading out his answers, the way he reflected and astutely corrected things he’d said, apologising, of course. I admit I caught myself giving him a hint — a complete no-no, I know — but it was really minor and happened only once. Unnecessary really, given the amount of knowledge he had. I wanted him to do masterly.

And then, before we knew it, we were finished with the extra half an hour left to spare.

I asked him if I should read everything through once again and he agreed.

I read, he followed every word, nodding intermittently and finally when we came to the very last sentence and the very last word, I stopped and looked up wondering whether he might want to change something. There was time enough.

He paused, eyes sparkling, and fully enthralled he applauded me as if I’d just delivered the speech of a lifetime, saying “wow, that was fantastic!”

I smiled and gently said, “You know that wasn’t me that was you, they’re your words, not mine. I congratulate you!”

He grinned and thanked me. I was so very proud of him.

I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who radiated this amount of affability, politeness and shining optimism as he did.

This young lad left an unforgettable impression on me.

I wished him, with all my heart, success in achieving whatever it was he was aiming for. He thanked me once again and walked over to a group of classmates waiting eagerly to share their feelings about the exam for which they had all just sat.

Even now over a year later, I smile with the same feeling of delight and admiration I felt for this congenial, little — no congenial, young — man.

Yes, he was challenged but with his pleasing character, he would easily overcome any possible hurdles because he was so very easy to love.

My experience as an exam supervisor