Lucky Spin: Godly Programming-Chapter 26: Explaining

Jeff nodded as he stepped forward again, facing the class with the calm composure of someone who knew he held the spotlight.

But deep beneath that calm exterior, hid a look of embarrassment and shyness.

"Alright, ummm, so the question asked us to compare simple interest and compound interest over five years using 10,000 pesos with a 2% annual rate."

He turned to the board and began writing as he explained.

"For Simple Interest, I used the formula I = P × r × t."

"The principal stays the same every year, so all I had to do was multiply 10,000 by 0.02 and then multiply that by the number of years. That gave me the interest per year, and I added it to the original amount." As he pointed at the simple interest table.

"Since it doesn’t grow, you get flat increases: 200, 400, 600, 800, up to 1,000. So after 5 years, you earn a total of 1,000 pesos."

He let the class absorb that for a second before continuing.

"Now for Compound Interest, it’s different. I used the formula A = P(1 + r)^t, but instead of doing it all at once, I broke it down year by year to show how it grows."

He turned to the compound interest section and said:

"In the first year, I multiplied 10,000 by 0.02 that’s 2% added. That gave me 10,200."

"But for the second year, I didn’t go back to 10,000. I used the 10,200 as the new base. Multiply that by 0.02 again, and I got 10,404. Then 10,612.08... and so on."

He paused, then added.

"Each year, the interest is calculated on a slightly bigger number so the amount keeps growing faster. That’s the power of compounding. By the end, I ended up with 11,040.81 slightly higher than the 11,000 from simple interest."

He turned back to his classmates, and his gaze stopped at his teacher, who was smiling from ear to ear.

"So Jeff, if you were to invest your own money, which one would you choose, simple or compound interest?" she asked.

"Uhh, for me? I would choose compound interest," Jeff replied.

Ms. Lovella reclined her head as she asked, "And, why is that?"

"I chose compound interest over simple because, even if the rate is the same, compound earns more over time. The difference might seem small now, but if it were 100,000 pesos or more, that gap would be huge."

Then he smiled slightly and said, "Because that’s literally how money grows, it totally depends on how you treat it."

Ms. Lovella smiled proudly and turned to the rest of the class.

"You hear that, class? That right there is the kind of mindset you should carry not just for math, but for life."

She stepped forward, gesturing toward the board, "Jeff didn’t just solve the problem. He showed you that even small decisions, like how you invest or save, can lead to big differences later on."

She looked around the room, her tone was very thoughtful, "It’s not always about how much you have it’s about how wisely you use it. Whether it’s time, money, or effort because the way you manage it determines how it grows."

Then with a warm nod to Jeff, she added, "Let this be a reminder to all of you that sometimes, the real lesson isn’t just in getting the answer right it’s in understanding why it matters."

The class was silent for a second, not because they didn’t understand, but because they were genuinely impressed.

The class was quiet for a heartbeat, then a murmur spread across the room. One student from the back leaned forward, whispering.

"Bro did he just lecture better than the teacher?"

Someone chuckled. Another one clapped once. Then twice. Soon enough, the class burst into light applause, impressed not just by the math, but by how Jeff explained it like it was the easiest thing in the world.

Especially the amazing advice from their math teacher was also included in the round of applause.

Even Mark, Jeff’s best friend, leaned over and muttered something to Andre and Lester.

While Jeff had been taking a nap earlier, the two had changed their seats, since the ones next to Mark were unoccupied.

So whenever there was a surprise exam, they could just copy Jeff’s answers. As students, they believed they had to be prepared at any time, no matter the cost.

"Damn, Jeff’s nap must’ve unlocked a new brain cell," Mark said to Lester and Andre.

Andre snorted under his breath, nudging Lester with his elbow.

"Forget new brain cell, bro probably absorbed a whole textbook while snoring."

Andre leaned forward, whispering with a grin, "That’s it. Next time he sleeps, I’m putting my notebook under his head. Maybe it’ll charge too."

The three of them tried not to laugh, as they did their best to keep it quiet as Ms. Lovella’s gaze wandered around the room.

But it was clear that Jeff was no longer just their seatmate, he had become their cheat code.

Ms. Lovella crossed her arms, smiling despite her earlier display of frustration, which was pretty normal for a dedicated teacher.

"Well... I was going to mark this as a punishment, but I think the class actually learned more from your explanation."

She glanced back at the board. Both sides of the table were neat, the math was clean, and the logic was airtight.

"That’s what I want to see," she said, nodding. "Not just solving, but understanding."

She turned to the rest of the class and asked, "Anyone here still confused about simple and compound interest, just raised your hand,"

What received her was just was silence, indicating that they had understood.

"Good. Jeff, you may sit down and next time, try staying awake but if this is what you do after a nap, maybe I’ll let you sleep more often."

Laughter broke out again, and Jeff smiled, feeling rather embarrassed as he returned to his seat, sliding into his chair as if nothing had happened.

With that, the teacher began the lesson, and Jeff made sure to stay awake this time. Mark, who was sitting beside him, was in awe to have such an amazing friend.

"Damn, bro, you’ve become even more amazing. You’re literally a genius right there. Teach me if you have time, okay?" he said.

Jeff smiled and nodded, "Of course," he replied.

With that, the two turned their attention back to the teacher at the board, unaware of the quiet gaze watching them from the far left corner of the room.

Ariana Willow glanced at Jeff, holding her pen and staring at him with a blank expression. It was clear she had something on her mind, something no one else could quite discern.

"Since Jeff has already explained how to solve compound interest, there’s no need for me to teached you about unless we have to go over it again, as he explained it in a very simple and clear way," Ms. Lovella said, glancing at Jeff as she spoke.

Jeff, upon hearing this, was stunned. No wonder everyone had been so surprised, even his teacher had been caught off guard.

She hadn’t reached the compound interest part of the lesson yet and was still explaining simple interest.

And yet, he had gone ahead and explained compound interest in such a casual manner. He couldn’t help but want to slap himself.

But after thinking it through, he realized this might actually be a good thing.

It would reflect positively on his grade, so he decided to cheer up and keep moving forward.

"So, probability is a field of mathematics that deals with chance," Ms. Lovella began as she wrote the word Probability on the board.

She turned to face the class, "For example, when we look at the sky and see dark clouds, we naturally start to wonder will it rain or not? That’s already a simple probability situation. There are two possible outcomes: it either rains or it doesn’t. So in this case, we might say there’s a 50% chance for each."

She paused, then added, "Now let’s say it is raining really hard. Then we’re dealing with another kind of probability. Can anyone guess what it is?"

Her eyes scanned the room before she answered herself, "It’s the chance that classes will be suspended or not suspended. Again, two possible outcomes. So even everyday situations, like weather and class schedules, involve probability."

She smiled and tapped the board, "Probability is everywhere it’s not just numbers. It’s decision-making, predictions, and outcomes based on what could happen."

The class listened in awe, and Jeff, like the others, found himself equally captivated.

He was genuinely amazed, not just by the topic, but by how clearly and effectively his teacher delivered her advice and explanations.

Ms. Lovella truly had a way of making complex ideas feel simple and engaging.