The Nursing Exam

During her final year of nursing school, a student was breezing through a difficult exam. she flying through the technical questions about pharmacology and anatomy until she reached the very last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

The student laughed, thinking it was some kind of joke. She had seen the cleaning woman many times. She was tall, with dark hair, and looked to be in her 50s, but how was she supposed to know her name?

She handed in her paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, another student asked if the last question would count toward the grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All of them are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say hello."

The student never forgot that lesson. She also never forgot the name she learned that afternoon: Dorothy.