Picking a gem of a day

quest.delhi@expressindia.com

Teachers and students of Doon Public School,Paschim Vihar,share experiences from their days at school that have made an indelible impression on their lives

Shikha Arora
It was in 1992 when I got my first assignment as a teacher. Just out of college,I was a fresher and had no experience of teaching at all. It was my first day at school and believe me,I was as nervous as a toddler who walks into the strange environs of his new school. As I entered the sixth grade,40 odd pairs of eyes scrutinised me from head to toe and I knew instantly that I had been accepted. I felt relieved and boosted at once. When I started playing the ‘Name Game’ in order to remember their names quickly,I knew I had taken the rest of the class too with me.

As all others hopped about with enthusiasm and promptly followed all my instructions,my eye caught sight of one child sitting in a corner all by herself,her eyes reflecting tremendous fear and anxiety.

While I involved other students in group activities,I walked upto her. “Durga.” I called her,and thanks to the ‘Name Game’,I remembered her name correctly. She appeared to be really perturbed. I held her trembling hand and tried to comfort her. Without asking her what was tormenting her little mind and what disturbed her so much,I just told her that she was ‘Durga’ which meant ‘power’. So somebody as powerful as Durga had no business to be afraid. Just then the bell rang and I had to leave my class.

The next day as I walked towards my classroom,my strides were much more confident and less nervous. I was greeted by a bubbly bunch but my eyes searched for the little frightened child. To my surprise,she had changed completely. She sat right in the middle of the class and was beaming with confidence. At the first opportunity,she quietly came over to me and secretly handed over a card. “Thank You,Miss. You’ve changed my life,yours newly empowered Durga.”

I read it over and over again. Whether I had changed her life or vice versa,I still wonder. Was it one of those life-changing experiences that shapes a moment in time or was it an experience to savour day in and day out for the rest of my life?
Senior Headmistress

Suman Chawla
It was the last period at school when I entered the class. It was pouring heavily outside. “I left my book in the staff room”,I mumbled to myself as I sat down.

“May I go and get it Ma’am? Fourteen-year-old Ashish asked and without waiting for my answer shot out of the class. In an instant he was back looking as pleased as a punch. He was mediocre as far as studies were concerned. Whenever I asked for homework,he would often be seen standing among the shirkers.

Yet the energy in him almost amazed me. Despite my admonitions he never showed signs of dismay. He seemed to have an aura of cheer around him and the positive vibes that he sent out were unconditional.

Students often labelled him a ‘weak student’,‘lousy’ and a ‘loser’. I sometimes wondered why but this ‘backbencher’ with such low scores had made a little nest in my heart. Nothing could deter him from his cheerful demeanour. Despite being ostracised by his peers,he always found a meaning in whatever he did. H e had a never-say-die attitude to life.

One morning he informed me that he was leaving the school as his father had lost his job and could not afford to send him to school any longer. With a heavy heart I said goodbye to him. I often thought about him in the years that passed.

One evening,as I hung out a mall I often visited,I saw a handsome young man in his early twenties walking towards me. “Hallo Ma’am,” he said. “Do you remember me?” It took me a while before I said “Ashish! After so many years! How are you?” “I’m good Ma’am “,he said as he touched my feet,” And what are you doing here?” I asked. He pointed to a huge showroom of solitaires and precious stones. “I’m the owner Ma’am”,he said. That day,my conviction that every child is a gem grew even stronger.
TGT English

Mahima Sharma
Life is full of learning experiences,but it is rare that you meet someone who leaves an indelible mark in your life. My luck lines are favourable enough to bless me with such a person in my life. He is an all-time guidance,support and source of inspiration in my life. He is my Sanskrit teacher — Narayan Sir. You must have expected me to refer to him as Mr Narayan,that’s the general manner we all follow,but I never felt a formal student-teacher relationship with him. I got to know him in Class IX; since then he has been the strong pillar of support in every weak moment in my life. His charismatic wisdom never fails to inspire me. Although there have been innumerable experiences where his unending guidance has made me choose and walk on the right path,the experience that I would like to share made me realise his true worth in my life.

It was the day of my Class X Boards result that proved to be unfortunate for me. Having attained the tag of a ‘bright student’ since my junior classes,I worked hard for my Boards,but unfortunately my English marks spoiled my overall percentage. I was disheartened as I did not expect what I saw. Though everyone was there to support me on that day: my family and my friends yet his presence and words of motivation instilled the much-needed strength in me.

He made me realise that life is not a bed of roses and one must face all events with a strong mind.

His support helped me pass that difficult time and instilled the confidence to start over with a clean slate. He is an inseparable part of my life.

Words can never express the love and regardI have for him. I hope him to be there to guide me whenever life challenges my potential and luck turns its back on me.
Class XII-B

Upasya Goswami
Character–building. That was what Gandhiji’s answer was when he was asked about his idea of education in self-dependent India. And truly,education today imbibes us with moral values and strengthens our character,and who else is better to provide us with these values than our teachers,the pallbearers of morality and wisdom.

It is not necessary that a person should look up to someone as a teacher only if he/she teaches a particular subject in a school. A teacher is someone who guides us during periods of difficulties,corrects our mistakes and helps us in becoming better human beings. Such a person can be found even when one has grown up.

My own experience with my teachers,rather one particular teacher,has helped me understand their importance in our lives. Our English teacher,Urvashi ma’am,helped me during a time when I was facing great difficulty in opting for a particular stream after finishing my Class X. This topic had led to several heated discussions at my home and I was feeling very tense and depressed. I discussed my dilemma with her and,she,like a true friend heard me out and asked for my opinion. I told her I could not decide on a particular stream.

She then enlisted the pros and cons of all the three streams (Science,Commerce and Humanities),career and growth options,and then asked me to zero in on the option that suited me the best. This immensely helped me take,perhaps,the most important decision of my career.

Thus,in my opinion,it is true that teachers are the most venerated and respected people in our society. That is why they have been mentioned in epics like the Mahabharata where Eklavya sacrificed his thumb for his guru Dronacharya. My own experience has reinstalled my belief in the old adage ‘Guru’ (Teacher) is to be respected and worshipped more than God.
Class XII-B