''It is really a hard core truth that it is only the first teacher who molds you, in a direction that makes you what you are today. This story presents a diversity among teachers who changed my life entirely. I am not an ideal person but still all my goodness that I have ever evolved into, is attributed to them.''
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Everyday she would save five rupee or a ten rupee note, counting or adding up to sixty rupees, that was my first ever decided tuition fee. I didnot know how she could manage this? I remember that day, she gave me a handkerchief in which, few coins were tied along with some folded ten rupee notes and then she asked me to give it to my first tuition teacher as an advance amount.
It was my first tuition fee she had saved from daily hard home budget. Yes, you are right. She was my mother, my first teacher, who taught me counting, few tables, discipline and patience.
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She enlisted me on the top of the list as a first child in the entire family to have such a costly private tuition. She made my successful landing on a safe platform. I was handed over to a more simple but sophisticated, humorous but equally sincere lady. My first official teacher.
She had a style of teaching that was different. She always praised students even if they were bad at work, worst at handwriting. I would not have realized that I was unique if she would not have praised my handwriting. First few alphabets that I wrote on a piece of paper, even though my alphabets pretended different dancing poses.
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I made it to pass, my primary level. I was being admitted to another school for further secondary education. My new sixth standard class teacher was a science teacher.
I was learning English at home, by my own through a grammar book. Everyday, after learning a sentence from a book, I used to practice it in my school by using it in the class.
That day, first period, science teacher was sitting in front of me and one of my friend’s book fell down from desk, onto the floor. He asked me to pick it up and give it to him. I denied him with an attitude saying ‘’I have not your servant.’’ On hearing to this grammatically incorrect sentence, she called me and said silently, in my ear, “ I am not your servant is the correct version of the sentence.’’
She would have said that in front of class.But she didn't. I learned how to correct people by being polite, secretly and more profoundly. Anger has no essence if you really want to induce corrections in a person. Things can really be effective if considered politely.
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Well what was my ambition was still not clear by the time I had passed my eighth standard. I thought I would aim to become a good doctor or a more sophisticated engineer as I always used to hear only these few terms, from my parents since my childhood.
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I too could write, imagine and think. Thanks to my Hindi master, an optimistic creature, who made me realize I am not a bad writer and thinking too much is not hazardous. It puts you into another world. Words become your friends. Black ink becomes most important colour. And yes, it gives you power that can convert ‘nobody’ into ‘somebody’ through the power of this ink. You are more loved by people, respected by your beloved ones. You feel fully expressed, happy and energetic.
My Hindi was improvising, better than English. He made me a poet. Every line he would read, in the class, from a poem, used to have several different meanings. Really he proved, ‘‘it is, not the circumstances that matter but, the perception towards them that make circumstances odd or even.’’
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Days passed . I started dreaming more and working less. I became showy, overconfident as I was continuously being praised by my teachers.
I dropped my one year, thinking I would crack the national medical exam for M.B.B.S. But I failed. Got stressed out I thought life was finished rendering me totally into a big ambiguity about my carrier.
I applied for university. Got admission in a good college. First orientation class. An old lady, introducing the department and faculty said, ‘We all here , not to compete with others but with ourselves.’’ This sentence though sounded very familiar but made me to promise myself to follow it.
When I saw the high class environment , in the campus, I started feeling more inferior and less prestigious. My focus changed from academics. I started spending more time trying to adjust to a friend circle which was not, of my economic standard.
I went more reckless, disgusting and extremely careless about my studies, hobbies etc. Hence I hardly scored more than sixty percent.
Genetics class, afternoon period, that dedicated, sincere lady was busy, in drawing some flow diagram on board. Extreme corner desk, last table, I was continuously talking, murmuring with my friend, thinking she is not watching the conversation as for me her presence was an optical illusion.
After the class was over, she called my friend into the staffroom, and said to him, "You are a good student but if you continue sitting with Pawan, you will not remain a good student.’’
On hearing to this, a deep sense of insult pinched my self esteem. I felt I was better before the way I was. I pledged I will not change my positive or qualities which defined my identity. I started studying day and night. This had never happened before. I topped my college with a rise in percentage from sixty four to eighty four, scoring highest in genetics. My original lost identity was restored.
Thanks to her as she induced a superlative change in me, that helped, restoring my identity.
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As my masters finished, I thought I would get a good place to work. It was not easy as I thought. After passing through a stage when all ways were closing down, things were getting worst. I was denied , dragged, defeated by my own incapabilties. I had started thinking if my all educational journey would go waste if I was not able to get a good place to work in. So when I had nothing left as a hope, when I was broken, down, and denied. Suddenly a hope flashed. God sent a miracle lady into my life. She made me realize that I was still unique, honest, intelligent, common like others but different. My present research supervisor who secured my incoming few years to venture into research as her student. A very sophisticated lady with very focused attitude about her quality work.
Surrounded by such teachers, surmounted by their supervision, I feel, I always wanted to become a good teacher. Whatever I extracted positive from these marvellous creatures, I tried to transfer to my students. My ongoing teaching at my home, encompassing twenty to thirty students every year, for past six years have helped me to evolve into a new identity.
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''Whatever I have learned, accumulated, or have gathered during course of my journey either being as a student to as a teacher, is the result of continuous molding efforts of my teachers.And one thing that was common to all them, was that all of them were good human beings who were less professional and more practical.''
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