When I was in third grade, Mrs. Powers was my favorite teacher EVER, making education collaborative and fun. One thing she would do was pick a student to read a story to the class every Friday, and I was asked the most out of anyone, reading from Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (the class favorite was “Clinkety-Clink” in case you were wondering).

One day she sent me to the health office because I was squinting at the chalk board. I took the eye exam and the nurses looked me dead in my dead eyes and told me I was nearsighted as all hell.

When I returned to the classroom, Mrs. Powers interrupted the lesson plan to ask me if I was going to have to wear sunglasses and a cane from now on, then proceeded to imitate being blind, making everyone laugh at my expense. Miserably, I told her I would need to wear glasses from now on. Her smile faded and everyone shut up.

Having glasses hasn't been all bad, however. An accessory in themselves, they've enabled me to look smart even when I'm not. What did 20/20 vision do for Mrs. Powers? Keep her on a low salary job in Bangor, Maine, that's what.