365 Writing Prompt: The road less traveled

Pinpoint a moment in your past where you had to make a big decision.Write about that other alternate life that could have unfolded.

When I was in Dhaka, Bangladesh, I saw an ad for a teaching job in Islamabad, Pakistan. I applied for the job,the headmistress of the school came to Dhaka to interview the applicants. There were six of us competing for that one job. I was called in first, the headmistress was a nice lady, she asked me about my experience,where I taught and how I learned to speak Urdu.

I told her I lived in Rawalpindi Pakistan, where my father worked. We left the city  after my father passed away.

I was immediately offered the job, though there were other applicants yet to be interviewed. I thought about the distance I’d have to travel from Comilla ,Bangladesh, to Islamabad Pakistan. I asked her if there was a hostel nearby where I could stay.

When the headmistress  told me the nearest place to stay was forty miles from the school, I was concerned, I wasn’t sure the distance from the hostel to the school would be convenient for me to travel everyday. I asked my sister, she told me it was a bad idea to take this job.

I declined the job and carried on with  my job in the school where I was already employed.

Had I taken that job the alternate life  that  could have unfolded for me would be frustration for accepting a job so far away from my original home, I’d probably dislike myself for taking a stupid decision. Eventually I know I’d quit the job and come home.

…………………………… 🙂

 

Daily Prompt: Choose Your Adventure

Write a story or post with an open ending and let your readers invent the conclusion.

She was in a hurry to go home to tell her mother about getting the job she applied for. She had so much to tell she started running, she did not see the person coming from the opposite direction, they collided, she fell down on the pavement, he stood there stunned unable to figure out what he must do.

She tried to stand up, he helped her. The man noticed she was bleeding from the cut on her forehead. “I’d have to take you to the medical center,” he said.

“Medical center”, she repeated , “I want to go home my mother is waiting for me?”

None of them realized they were perfect strangers to each other, she looked and said, “I’m sorry I was in such a rush to tell my Mom the news ,by the way I am Sonya, I got a job as a programmer at IBM.”

“WOW! You are lucky, I’ve been looking for a job for the past month, but luck did not favor me, oh I am Stuart.”

Sonya and Stuart decided to go to Sonya’s home. She did not want her Mom to worry.

Mrs. Gordon was anxious about Sonya, she called her friends to find out if Sonya was visiting them. Reply from everyone was, “No we did not.”

Mrs. Gordon started pacing back and forth and murmured  “where is that girl”.

Suddenly she heard,”Mom I’m home!

She ran to open the door, there was Sonya, she noticed the cut on her forehead immediately, “What’s wrong Sonya and who is this man?”…………

What happens next READERS feel free to give your conclusion to this story!”

Five sentence fiction: Memories

 Memories

Gloria sat in her room thinking about her life, she was so ambitious, one rejection completely killed her confidence, she is scared to apply anywhere else, her Mom tried to convince her, it’s not the end of the world, there are other places you can apply, after all you are qualified to teach.

She remembered clearly her Prof told her she made the wrong choice she should have gone for nursing, there are tons of job in that field.

It’s too late, she spent so many years studying, she cannot change now, all her friends have good jobs she’s the only one who is unsuccessful, she scoured the pages of the  newspaper for teaching positions, she saw one it was a temporary position to substitute for a teacher who was going on maternity leave.

She applied immediately, she was told it was only for a year, will she be interested, it was the best thing she heard in such a long time, yes she said, “I am interested!”

That day she went home, hugged her Mom and Dad, told them about her job, she was so happy, tears rolled down her cheeks, “Thank you God” she said!

…………………………………………… 🙂

 

 

 

 

 

Fiction: Glimmer

Gwen received a letter for an interview for the job she applied, months ago, she gave up thinking the position was probably filled.

She knew an interview does not mean she’s got the job but the possibility of getting it excited her.

The interview was scheduled for 1 pm on Thursday, it was already Wednesday, she’d have to start reading some articles on the subject, she was about to find the articles on her bookshelf, when there was a sudden knock on the door, she reluctantly opened the door standing in front of her was Steve, the know it all, what does he want she thought, she a forced smile, she asked, “Hi Steve ,what’s up?”

“Gwen , you won’t believe what I got on the mail, an interview for that job we both applied for?”

The news came as a shock to Gwen, she started feeling sick, the glimmer of hope she had of getting the position disappeared when she saw Steve with the letter!

: https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/12/20/fiction-glimmer/

 

DP Daily Prompt: Spice of Success

If ” failure is the condiment that success gives its flavor”( Truman Capote) how spicy do you like your success stories?

I like my success stories to be spicy enough to satisfy my ego. I may or may not have written about this story before, I like reminding myself I am very lucky.

Sometime ago my husband got a job in a small hospital in Newfoundland, while he’d be away all day at work, I stayed at home with very little to do. I looked at it this way, how many times can one spend time cleaning and dusting, it was only two of us and the house needed cleaning once a week.

I was bored, I applied for a teaching job the principal said: “you are over qualified.”

Where I came from higher the qualification the greater are the possibilities of getting a job, one thing made me happy i.e the thought, we were only there for two years and after completing the second year we’d be back in Montreal where our good friends lived.

A year was barely over, when one day I received a call from the superintendent of the school board, he wanted to come to my house to see me. I was surprised to know he wanted to come to my house to see me.

He came with the principal of one of the schools, they asked me a few questions, told me they had vacancies for two teachers, one in grade four and the other one in grade seven. I was asked my preference, I favored grade four, I was told they’d let me know in a day or two.

Before I went upstairs I looked out and found both of them discussing something, I was about to go upstairs when the door bell rang. I answered the door and saw the superintendent, he informed me that they’re pleased to hire me to teach the fourth grade.

I was delighted, soon after my husband called, I gave him the good news and this was the beginning of my teaching career!

: https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/11/04/dp-daily-promp…ice-of-success/

365 Writing Prompts: Honorific

October 16th is officially declared “Person X Day”–  and you get to pick Person X . tell us someone who deserves to be commemorated.

I went to Montreal on the 6th of October, I came back last evening. When I read the prompt “Honorific,” it took me by surprise, I am thinking now was there anyone during my recent travel I found deserved the title of “Person X,” I’m glad there is one who deserves it more than anyone else.

He works for “Air Canada,” he was extremely pleasant with  all the passengers on our flight. He helped the passengers with the placement of their handbags, serving tea,coffee, juice etc., I’ve traveled a few times but I’m yet to find someone who loves his job so much, without hesitation, I’m happy to pick him as, “Person X!”

https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/10/16/365-writing-prompts-honorific/

 

365 days Writing Prompts:Childlike

Explain your biggest regret__ as though to a small child.

I have spoken to children as part of my job, they were curious ready to learn, which made my job easier.There was a boy named Mark in my class, he was a very talkative child once I told him to go back to his seat, in reply he said, “Why?”

I said:  “because I’m telling you to do so.”

Mark was in a playful mood that day, he repeated again: “why?”

It seemed he wanted to linger on to see what my next move would be, this time I said, “I’m your teacher, you must listen to me.”

Not willing to give up, he said: “but you’re not my boss, are you?”

I smiled and told him: ”  in this classroom I’m your teacher and your boss.”

He smiled back and replied: “okay I believe you, now I’ll go back to my seat.”

I did not have any regrets but I was curious to know what else he’d come up with, it was a friendly dialogue which the rest of the kids also enjoyed.

nk: https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/10/14/365-days-writi…omptschildlike/

 

365 Writing Prompts:We can be taught

What makes a teacher great?

Before I try to write what makes a great teacher, I’m eager to find out, who deserves to be a teacher?

With the above question in my mind I went about reading different people’s notion of evil and good, it breaks my heart to think these so called educated people, have given their verdict on who is evil, according to them some children are born evil.

When a child is born, he/she comes with a clean slate, they are at the mercy of their parents, guardians or others who take care of him/her. Can you honestly say that this child is evil, if you do, it means God has poured all the evil genes in him before sending him to earth, who else would you think, because the people on earth didn’t get a chance  to make him evil,it was taken care of by the creator.

For starters my feeling is people who have a twisted mind like this should not be allowed in the teaching profession.

It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to become a teacher, one must have proper education on how to deal with a pupil or student.

I also know what one learns in education seldom helps in teaching, one learns as he or she begins a career in teaching. I am thinking how I learned the art of teaching, it wasn’t educational Psychology,history of education, none of these things I learned, prepared me for teaching. It was by stepping into a classroom, my how to teach began.

I remember it was the second year of my teaching, I had taken a job in a local “Residential model school, in Bangladesh,” I asked a few questions to my colleague, I noticed she always changed the subject, it became evident she did not want to transfer her knowledge to me.

I wasn’t scared I knew I can learn on my own by watching the kids.It was my first day in that school, there were forty-two boys in my class, they were six year old rambunctious kids, One of them came up to me and said,”You are our sixth teacher in two months.”

Like Julie Andrews in ‘Sound of Music, I quietly thought what’s wrong with these kids?

I found that out soon enough, when the recess bell rang, I heard a loud roar within seconds the boys were out of the class in the playground noisily jumping and running. They were I assume thinking, ‘how long will she stay with us?’

After recess they all came in like a bunch of ruffians eager to see what I may have to offer. I did nothing that day.The following day after assigning their work for the first two periods, I looked at my time to find out when will the bell  ring for recess, when I saw there were only five minutes left,I got the attention of the boys and made a very firm announcement, I said, “the recess bell will ring after five minutes, if any one stands up before I say so, you will not have recess.”

There was pin drop silence each looked at the other, the bell rang they stayed glued in their seats, I looked at them and told them to stand up, they were to remain silent and leave the room one row at a time. The boys were quiet and did as I asked.

From that day onward I had no trouble with them, they did not dislike me on the contrary they liked me a lot.

I still cannot answer the question what makes a teacher great, I think loving one’s job, loving the kids one teaches, and be firm when needed. Children like discipline, it doesn’t mean take a stick in your hand and demand good behavior, trust me it does not work.

: https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/09/21/365-writing-pr…-can-be-taught

DP Daily Prompts: Nightmare job

In honor of Labor Day in North America,tell us what’s the one job you could never imagine yourself doing.

One of the job’s I wouldn’t imagine doing is working in a mine. I think it’s a dangerous job, there have been many mining accidents where the miners were stuck and there was no way to rescue them.

https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/09/01/dp-daily-prompts-nightmare-job/

 

 

DP Daily Prompt: Head Turners

We often hear strange snippets of conversation as we walk through public spaces.When was the last time  you overheard so interesting, ridiculous, or disturbing, you really wanted to know what it was all about?

My brother Misbah, was traveling to Comilla from Chittagong, he overheard a passenger telling his friend there was a job opening in one of the Tea Estates.

He told my brother Rafique  about the job opening,  Rafique was looking for a job, he sent an application to the Tea Board. After a few days he received a letter from the boss of the company to come for an interview.

Rafique was delighted, he left Comilla to go to Chittagong for the interview. He met the boss of the company, who received him cordially, after asking him some questions, he was told they will send him a letter if he was selected.

After waiting for a couple of weeks my brother received a letter from the company boss that he was hired for the job!

: https://sabethville.wordpress.com/2014/08/28/dp-daily-prompt-6/