This happened during my first semester of college two years ago. There was a girl in my class who never talked to the teacher. He would ask her questions, but she stayed silent. I can’t remember her making any noise at all.

One day, the teacher got very angry. He thought she was ignoring him and being rude, so he shouted, “Hey! Didn’t anyone teach you how to speak?” She stood up, walked to the whiteboard, took his marker, and wrote, “I am mute, you fool.

This story captures an intense moment of misunderstanding and the surprising impact of assumptions. During your first semester in college, two years ago, there was a quiet girl in your class who never verbally responded to the teacher. Every time he asked her a question, she would remain silent, which eventually led to the teacher’s frustration. He mistakenly assumed her silence was out of disrespect and called her out angrily, shouting, “Hey! Didn’t anyone teach you how to speak?”

Instead of responding verbally, the girl calmly stood up, walked over to the whiteboard, took his marker, and wrote a single, impactful line: “I am mute, you fool.” Her response was a powerful reminder of the importance of empathy and the dangers of jumping to conclusions without understanding someone’s circumstances. In a single gesture, she made it clear that there was more to her silence than anyone realized, turning what could have been an embarrassing confrontation into a lesson for everyone in the room.