Sitting at the dining room table with a cloud on my face, sad, worried. How will I ever pass my physics examination, I thought to myself.

Mama asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Mama! I am going to fail physics. I simply don’t understand either the theories or the concepts. The professor is trying to transfer in terms of physics, I can’t articulate the knowledge I did not gain. What do I do?”
We – mama and I – brainstormed.
“Did you seek out tutoring? Ask the professor for clarification, help, and assistance.”
“Mama, he never seems to have time for me; when my schedule is free, he is teaching. When he is free, I am in class or working. What do I do?”
“Go to the library,” Mama said.
“And what do I do there, when I don’t understand what I am reading?”
“Start from the beginning,” Mama said.
“What do you mean, mama?”
“Refer to the most elementary physics books for children and work your way up. See if this will help to clarify the subject matter.”

So, the next day, off I went to the library. This became a habit, and I spent a great deal of my spare time in the library. I studied the fundamentals of physics for children, probably a third-grade level, with illustrations. Every day I would survey, examine, and inspect the subject repeatedly. I began to work my way up through the grade levels. The simple figures, diagrams, formulas, and language helped me to grasp the subject matter, although I thought this was not university material, nevertheless I kept at it.

Finally, it was the examination day. I was nervous. I took the exam and culled from my mind the elementary readings I had read, my newly gained information, and even included some simple illustrations, formulas, and theories, too, which I learned from the first primary education books. That week I worried about how I did on my test.

One week later, I received my examination in physics from my professor with the following comments: love your simplicity of style, your economy of language, your illustrations prove you have a real understanding of physics. You are on the mark. Kudos!

I received an A grade. Thank you, mama!