My Experiences As A Lecturer (2)
DEALING WITH RUDE STUDENTS
Once I was in the staffroom evaluating the answer sheets of a class test. A colleague who was also teaching English entered the same room looking extremely upset. I dropped the pen , looked at his face and asked why he was looking upset. I knew him inside out. He was a married man having two daughters. He was simplicity and shyness personified. He had a great experience of teaching the rural students , however, he had only a month's experience or so of teaching the students of town. He was himself born, raised and educated at rural places. It is a fact that a true villager gets embarrassed in the company of townspeople whose accents, manners and ways seem much advanced to him. I loved him for his simplicity but never disclosed this secret to him. I held him in honour too. Being his colleague and fan, I thought myself morally responsible to ask him the reason for looking upset. After many requests, he opened his shy mouth. He said that he was teaching a class of girls, where he felt like asking a girl about her name . He added that he had actually found that girl inattentive. In order to divert her attention back to the lecture , he thought it a good strategy to ask her about her name instead of insulting her or scolding her in the presence of her classmates. He said that the girl student told him angrily that she didn't say her name to anybody. In other words, she insulted pointblank her teacher . That remark had cut his heart very deep and he had left the class a few minutes early than the usual time to escape from further disgrace. When he told the name of the student in question , I was shocked as I knew that student very well. She was very much respectful to me in those days. I knew her family . She was remotely related to me also. Her dad had passed away and the her widowed mom was looking after her . I was always a very sensitive human being. I thought of investigating the matter on my personal level but didn't get time. Many weeks and months went by. All had forgotten about that episode except the sensitive and inquisitive soul of me.
Another day, I was in the company of my another colleague , a lecturer teaching commerce. We both were heading towards bus stop. Once we reached at the bus stop, we saw a girl seated in the bus looking at us . I recognised her. She was the same girl. She had left the institute where we were her teachers. She was doing the course of nursing somewhere. She was only 10 feet away from us. I gave her a broad smile which she saw leisurely . Instead of returning the smile, she frowned and then turned her face to the other side. Like any other human being, teachers too have hearts which break with bad things and swell larger with sweet things. I was hurt. Damn it, I was badly heart. My colleague who was the only witness to this disgrace consoled me saying that STUDENTS'S COMMUNITY IS A THANKLESS COMMUNITY. I pretended to be okay and smiled again . we moved forward. But, this scene would never stop flashing on my mind. It kept recapitulating for days, weeks and on. My faith in the statement of my fellow English lecturer who had been insulted earlier got stronger. But I was not him. I was me. I was to some extent like Heathcliff of WUTHERING Heights. I knew how to deal with such creatures.
Months passed , I was as usual carrying an attendance register and heading towards lecturing a class located in the adjacent building . our staffroom was not in that building where I was going at that time. No sooner did I reach at the gate of the building which I was supposed to enter than I saw the same girl along with another girl whom I knew also. I took a long breath ,for, it was the moment to teach a rude & unpredictable student a lesson about manners that she needed so badly. As I neared her, she smiled sweetly while greeting loudly as if I had forgotten her injury on my heart. She greeted again then again as if I was a bit deaf. Every time, I behaved as a complete deaf. That time, her face turned red in the presence of her friend. Her heart was deeply hurt. She was paid back in the same coin. I went on to do my job . she went to do hers. We met many times after that but we bypassed each other. I was cocksure that she would never play with the feelings of any human being after that last lesson that I taught her free. Plus, I would never want to be her teacher again and neither would I talk to her till I die. I would never violate the principles of my life , that I learnt after much sufferings and tribulations.
However , I would still pray for her because I am a teacher, although a modern one. May Allah bless her and shower His choicest honours upon both of us!
Once I was in the staffroom evaluating the answer sheets of a class test. A colleague who was also teaching English entered the same room looking extremely upset. I dropped the pen , looked at his face and asked why he was looking upset. I knew him inside out. He was a married man having two daughters. He was simplicity and shyness personified. He had a great experience of teaching the rural students , however, he had only a month's experience or so of teaching the students of town. He was himself born, raised and educated at rural places. It is a fact that a true villager gets embarrassed in the company of townspeople whose accents, manners and ways seem much advanced to him. I loved him for his simplicity but never disclosed this secret to him. I held him in honour too. Being his colleague and fan, I thought myself morally responsible to ask him the reason for looking upset. After many requests, he opened his shy mouth. He said that he was teaching a class of girls, where he felt like asking a girl about her name . He added that he had actually found that girl inattentive. In order to divert her attention back to the lecture , he thought it a good strategy to ask her about her name instead of insulting her or scolding her in the presence of her classmates. He said that the girl student told him angrily that she didn't say her name to anybody. In other words, she insulted pointblank her teacher . That remark had cut his heart very deep and he had left the class a few minutes early than the usual time to escape from further disgrace. When he told the name of the student in question , I was shocked as I knew that student very well. She was very much respectful to me in those days. I knew her family . She was remotely related to me also. Her dad had passed away and the her widowed mom was looking after her . I was always a very sensitive human being. I thought of investigating the matter on my personal level but didn't get time. Many weeks and months went by. All had forgotten about that episode except the sensitive and inquisitive soul of me.
Another day, I was in the company of my another colleague , a lecturer teaching commerce. We both were heading towards bus stop. Once we reached at the bus stop, we saw a girl seated in the bus looking at us . I recognised her. She was the same girl. She had left the institute where we were her teachers. She was doing the course of nursing somewhere. She was only 10 feet away from us. I gave her a broad smile which she saw leisurely . Instead of returning the smile, she frowned and then turned her face to the other side. Like any other human being, teachers too have hearts which break with bad things and swell larger with sweet things. I was hurt. Damn it, I was badly heart. My colleague who was the only witness to this disgrace consoled me saying that STUDENTS'S COMMUNITY IS A THANKLESS COMMUNITY. I pretended to be okay and smiled again . we moved forward. But, this scene would never stop flashing on my mind. It kept recapitulating for days, weeks and on. My faith in the statement of my fellow English lecturer who had been insulted earlier got stronger. But I was not him. I was me. I was to some extent like Heathcliff of WUTHERING Heights. I knew how to deal with such creatures.
Months passed , I was as usual carrying an attendance register and heading towards lecturing a class located in the adjacent building . our staffroom was not in that building where I was going at that time. No sooner did I reach at the gate of the building which I was supposed to enter than I saw the same girl along with another girl whom I knew also. I took a long breath ,for, it was the moment to teach a rude & unpredictable student a lesson about manners that she needed so badly. As I neared her, she smiled sweetly while greeting loudly as if I had forgotten her injury on my heart. She greeted again then again as if I was a bit deaf. Every time, I behaved as a complete deaf. That time, her face turned red in the presence of her friend. Her heart was deeply hurt. She was paid back in the same coin. I went on to do my job . she went to do hers. We met many times after that but we bypassed each other. I was cocksure that she would never play with the feelings of any human being after that last lesson that I taught her free. Plus, I would never want to be her teacher again and neither would I talk to her till I die. I would never violate the principles of my life , that I learnt after much sufferings and tribulations.
However , I would still pray for her because I am a teacher, although a modern one. May Allah bless her and shower His choicest honours upon both of us!
##A_LeAdEr_iS_1_WhØ_kNoWs_ThE_WaY_Gøɧ_ThE_WaY_anD_Sho₩§_ThE_WaY....👏👏👏
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