Memories Post by Ranu

May 4, 2013

When I look back at my teaching days, the memories of the children I taught, makes me realize,how special they were. I was one of a kind teacher there,completely different from any they had seen or heard in the nine years of their life. Sometimes they didn’t know how to interact with me. I did not take coffee breaks or any other breaks.I was always present.Some even were bold enough to ask,”Mrs. Asgar,don’t you want to get some coffee”? In reply, “I would say,why so you can fool around”? It was an open and shut case. In my first year they found out,I was scared of walking on the ice,one child volunteered to meet me,so he could help me.We did not have any discussion about it,he came on his own and very faithfully did his job.I think this is what he thought.I don’t remember if I ever thanked him. I hope I did.

The school year was over in June and kids would bring me gifts and look at my expression,they wanted to know if I liked their gifts.I of course thanked them individually. One year, it was the last day of the school year,I was busy putting away books and cleaning up my messy desk. I suddenly noticed Bobby coming in to say something. I looked up and asked did he forget something, he said, “Mrs. Asgar, you don’t like me do you”? I was stunned to hear this,I asked him what made him say this,it’s not true. He said,” you promoted  me to grade five”. I told him there was no reason for me to fail him,he was one of the best students in my class. Even if he failed he would have a different teacher. This knowledge no matter how things turned out,I wouldn’t be his teacher the following year made him happy.

One year I had a new student in my class,the parents moved from a nearby community. He was put in my class.He was a quiet well-disciplined child, I did not have any occasion to take him aside and talk to him. Things were going well. Then came the time for the kids to order books from the Scholastics Book Company. The children would check the books they wanted with the money, I made a list and gave it to the secretary.On one such occasion the new kid did not have the exact change. I was about to give him the change,he looked at me and smiled, he said,”Mrs. Asgar you can keep the change”. I was  surprised  ,I did not want to hurt his feeling I replied’,it’s all right, give it to your Mom’. To this day I wonder how he felt Then there were some who would come to me at the end of the school year and apologize for their bad behaviour during the school year. Although they were not the problem.The ones who needed to apologize did not.

These are some of the memories which reminds me how lucky I was !