We turned the tables and asked your teachers - when one of the students turned a teacher and taught them an important life lesson. Interesting, right? The answers will melt your hearts.
I had accompanied a group of 450 primary kids to a water park for picnic. On the same day there was another school with more than 600 primary and secondary students. On occasions like these, it’s a big challenge to identify if children belong to your school or another, unless they smile at you, because everyone is in a swim wear.
A little before lunch time, a boy of class 1 brought another boy of his age with a minor cut on his lower lip. After getting him treated, I looked for his class teacher so that she could inform his parents about it. No one identified him and finally we discovered that he belonged to the other school.
I was really moved by this great gesture of generosity by a six-year-old towards his unknown neighbour. For the first time I understood the Bible quote, “Unless you become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven."
-Arockia Rajasekar, head teacher, St John's High School, Borivli, Mumbai
Being a humanities student most of the times I had to justify the choice of my subject, was it out of compulsion because of low grades or just like that . Time passed and as an educator, I would also ask my students who had opted for humanities during my ice breaking session about their reason for choosing humanities as a career choice.
Some said they wanted to appear for civil services, pursue fine arts , parents asked me to opt for it and so on. But a student who really stood out in her answer and conviction was a young lady named, Sanjana without batting an eyelid she said I have always been aware of how humanities as a stream is looked down upon. This is why I worked really hard in Grade 10 and secured a perfect 10 CGPA, so that I could qualify for every stream, even the one which has the highest cut off. I took up humanities as my OWN choice.
I believe that ultimately, it's about whether you live up to the decisions you make. This child had it all worked out it wasn’t all about choosing a stream, it was all about making a rational decision and living upto it. True to her words, she excelled in grade XII Examination and is currently pursuing Liberal studies.
-Bandita Roy, Educator, DPS, Ahmedabad
I had a student Akash Mishra who passed class XII from my school in the year 2011. He always used to be involved in some or the other mischief . Many a times his exasperating behaviour was to such an extent that I used to call his parents to school to hand over TC.
His father or mother never came , everytime his one or the other sister used to come whom I had never met before. Somehow he managed to clear his XII. He called me on messenger in January, 2017 at around 8pm. He very happily shared the news of his appointment in American Express as an Asst Engineer . I was thrilled and delighted and congratulated him from the bottom of my heart's.
Next day in the morning when his mother came to school and said that she couldn't control her happiness as her son got the job so just after his call that very morning, she came running down to me to share this good news with me. She came with a bunch of blooming flowers and delicious sweet delicacy of Lucknow to school. It was then that it struck me that I was the first person with whom he had shared the news and it brought tears to my eyes. My motivation with a chunk of inspiring him to be independent and successful boy made him reach to such heights is all that made me go in a blissful realisation.
As well as that was the very moment which taught me that every child has potential and we must realise their potential and work in that direction . No matter how naughty the children are we need to handle with perseverance, love and care. We as teachers, principals should never give up on any student rather cherish them with the education techniques in which they will learn.
Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions so be a teacher with full gear and zeal.
-Poonam Gautam, Principal, Sethmr Jaipuria School, Kanpur road, Lucknow
Books cannot teach you everything and every important lesson of life. You should be a lifelong learner and capable to imbibe learning from every small or big incident of life. As a teacher, I learnt an important lesson in life from a young student... that whatever you teach could become the blueprint of someone's life.
I remembered this incident when I was a teacher trainee in a school for the underprivileged. Every morning around ten students used to gather in a small room for regular classes.
As I was a teacher trainee, my guide would come on alternate days to check how I was teaching. On some days, as the class strength would be very low, I would not be able to do the lesson as planned.
Just before my final assessment, I asked one girl who had always been regular if she would be there the next day. She nodded. As expected, she was there the next day, and she had brought others along.
My teaching lesson went so well that my guide was very happy. After class I asked the student how she had managed to bring so many others to class. She said, ''Ma'm you never took a single holiday from one month and we know you are coming from far. So that’s why I never missed your class.''
As a teacher, this inspired and moved me. How she had observed that I was regular, and had been inspired by it to come to school too. This inspired me to respect the time. I realised every day of learning is important.
-Ruchi Joshi, teacher, Silver Oaks International, Bengaluru
The encounter started back in class IX , where I stumbled across a rebellious Saumyajyoti Mukherjee. I was his English teacher for two years and eventually realized that he a complete gentleman in the making.
The initial days were quite a rocky road as he was too stubborn to break the ice. But, teenager as he was, with the passage of time his real self was revealed. Other than being a complete and old school version of a gentleman Saumyajyoti is the living version of a sincere lad. He is downright honest and sincere to the very core of his very existence. This is what makes him special and I have been thoroughly inspired by his sincerity.
He had his share of battles, but he fought them with absolute grit and glory and today the little boy is planning to travel abroad for higher education. Dreams do come true if one is sincere enough and he has proven it outright.
As his teacher, I take immense pleasure in acknowledging that it is Saumyajyoti's sincerity towards every endeavor in life-be it friendship or career- that influences me. The way he makes sincerity look like a cake walk is absolutely encouraging. I sincerely wish him all the success and luck for his brilliant future.
-Aratrika Banerjee, teacher, BDM International, Kolkata
Did these stories move you?