School Experience: One fateful afternoon, in chemistry class

Forgiveness, has a strong power. It gives sinner a chance to redeem himself at the love of forgiver.

In Zhemgang, during class 12, chemistry teacher, who happened to be my class teacher during our casual chit-chat outside the classroom asked me and few of my friends about how is his teaching doing well with us. It didn’t really seem so serious when I and another friend suggested him of pacing up the classes. You see, there are more than 30 chapters in chemistry and the book 3 cm thick with so many calculations; it wasn’t any good to be able to complete one or two chapters in a month. And the fact that you are in class twelve where you have to give board examination, things couldn’t be any bad than having not finished the syllabus before trail exam. Chemistry in the brain and heart that time wasn’t really be an encouraging equation to bring out the result.

Here he is in the class, with one month to go for the final exam, he’s completed the syllabus, that too, with very good outcome. And in the class, he made no animosity of keeping me and my friend’s words as forgotten concerns. Time and again, sir would in the class make remarks like, people like “Tobgay and X” are very much worried that we won’t be able to finish  our syllabus. We always took it light, until, that afternoon where I stood up in the middle of his lecture and started to ask him about “What is my problem with you, sir?”….”You have taken it so seriously, not once, not twice, you goes on making fun of the suggestions we offered when you came seeking..” And with the sleeves of my gho folded right up to the arm (Well, its not what you are thinking of, and its definitely not that I appeared so much ready to fight with him. I always sat in the class with my laggaes folded right into my sleeves, it kind of kept my laggaes clean for a week long), things didn’t really go well in front of the other students around.

“Are you so esteemed not to be even resisting this much criticism?” He went on and on, I was confused, scared, and angry that I didn’t really hear what he shouted at me. His face has turned red, and after few minutes of silence, he left the classroom. I didn’t really notice my friend’s shocked expressions as if to ask me, “What the hell, Dude?”

Whatever happened in the class, I felt bad afterward, it didn’t really show anything so good for my open confrontation in the class. It didn’t really justify anything. I was at the end of everything wrong about it. Sir stopped coming to the classes and when it was the time for the discussion and solving questions of previous year papers, it didn’t really go well with my friends and myself.

Class was empty as usual with the dark silence. I didn’t take much time to decide on what should I do. I checked in the teachers’ common-room, it was empty. Inside the chemistry lab, sir stood  reading something. Well, what happened in the room could have been the best thing, but I would rather sum it up and do not stretch this thing. The best thing that i still keep in my mind is what he said to me at the end my emotional apology, “If i don’t forgive you, who would?” It touched me deeply, and I think there’s so much a deep sense in his words. My whole tension and a heavy heart with burdened guilt finally made me feel light and warm. Sir started coming to the class that period only.

After I qualified for scholarship with good marks in Maths and Chemistry, I called my sir, in India (he left the school for some job in India).

It takes a strong person to say sorry, and an ever stronger person to forgive-Unknown.

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Cristiano aplogises to a fan

Cristiano.....there’s nothing that I don’t like about this player…..and with what happened last Tuesday in the match against Getafe, where Ronaldo while clearing ball away smashed the ball on one of the fans’ nose which left the fan with bleeding nose, the admire for the player as a genuine human being behind that superstar footballer has increased tremendously.

Cristiano, after the match, went inside the stands, and apologised the fan. Latter was also gifted Cristiano’s shirt and took some photographs as well.

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School Experience; Clubbed in Literary Club to Current Affairs’ Day

In the schools to exercise certain varieties of co-curricular activities and creative studies which are not necessarily in the school texts, clubs get formed through certain number of enthusiastic students and a teacher or two. History has it that, clubs in schools were first started in Sacramento High School in California, in May of 1925 by their school administrator. Clubs in schools ranged from home science to literary, scouting to nature, agriculture to culture, etc.

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In my entire life in school, I was a part of only three clubs. My first club, literary club which I continued being in till I finished my class tenth. It began as something that I liked because we would be seated in library for an hour or less once in a week after the school, and gradually the love for English started to grow bigger, and hence there was no looking on other pastures around. In Yebilaptsa, after I got myself transferred to a new school from Wangduecholing lower secondary school, I joined literary club and we enjoyed hell lot. I started maintaining the scrape-book where I would collect articles and sometimes write my own. And in class ten, I was appointed as the literary captain and there I had the opportunity to get in touch with computer, a whole new experience to actually type out the magazine compiled by the articles submitted by members. They were sold amongst students, and the money we made was used for buying handkerchiefs which we donated to the hospital patients. It was something for which I still feel blessed and happy.

Then came, high school, in Zhemgang for some unknown reasons, I didn’t join the literary club. It was Current Affairs Club instead. History was full of people in the assembly making the news interesting by shouting news from far distance at the introduction of headlines by the main reporter just because he was a correspondent from some far place. Somehow, people always enjoyed the particular day where news were read instead of speeches. Although I never had so much a good opportunity than once during class 11, I had another chance when I was in class twelve. I changed my club for Physics so that I could study something related to my academic interest which would ultimately help me giving more time to study. However, sometimes people came out to speak as guest reporter and I subsequently had a chance. The day before, there was a preliminary singing round in the school organized by the District Administration. Ten boys and ten females were selected for the final round which was scheduled for the following weekend.

I started the news with international, national and the local news. To make things interesting, I called one of the singing finalists, who happened to be from my village, in the assembly and started interviewing him.

“Well, Karma, you are in final ten. What are your hopes of coming as winner?”

After a pause, in a lower tone, he tells me in our local dialect that he won’t be able to answer in English, and before I could tell him anything, he answered in Dzongkha.

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“Aang dhang pa dhang aang nyipa mathob dhe baerung, sumpa dhe thob se now mae (Not sure about winning, but definitely hoping to come in third position.” It wasn’t long before everyone in the assembly laughed. I didn’t know what to do and what to ask, but somehow, I ended up asking him remaining questions in Dzongkha.

Well all that I wondered in that morning was if half of the school assumed it to be intentional?  And you know what; Karma didn’t really come third, but surely did well in the competition.

These experiences today are all over me and are my fond memories of school.

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School Experience: Morning speeches and Prayers

There were incidences in primary school when we were lashed so much by our supposedly physical training teacher who happened to be a Dzongkha teacher for not being able to recite the morning prayers, national anthem and national song in the class. For a person who studied in Rigshung Lobdra, the kids who studied in a day school, that too, a school so much influenced by many television characters than our own embedded religion, didn’t really understand the reason behind our inability to by-heart those in given stipulated time. Besides, it didn’t really make a sense for someone who is entrusted to teach us Physical Training to come up with such tasks, but then, who would dare to make a noise about it, he was after all a terror.

Morning prayers, then a morning speeches and the announcements from teachers, then were so tedious and sometimes made a burden in a hot sunny day. Our friends, especially girls would collapse sometimes not being able to get through the assembly under the scorching sun. Teachers would scan the queue and sometimes pick one of us for either not coming neatly or for not being present in the earlier assembly. The prayers offered then were understood as just formalities as a student one was abound to, today as I look at myself for the lack of being able to recite one or even know it by-heart, I feel sometimes ashamed and belittled by my own lack of knowledge. The prayers were offered to God of Wisdom, that came too late to understand though, and national anthem was something for which we used to stand still even from the way distance.  Well what those verses meant, we never knew until we were in high school. Evening prayers were introduced when we were of class four. What began as some sort of school formality ended up as being the searching the solace and shelter in times both adversity and bliss.

Morning speeches were something that came as one golden opportunity, and most of the students took the speeches directly from magazines and newspapers. My first morning speech was about “Student life is golden life” and what I spoke, I don’t really remember. It was copied from some school magazine. In high schools, I had opportunities time and often to come out in assembly to either give speeches in both Dzongkha and English or come out to represent the Current Affairs Club. But seriously admitting, I never ever once delivered anything that which I wrote, and I didn’t find any importance by then. Like all my friends, even though, I was always known for my enthusiasm in literature, I never dared to speak one that which was right from my heart.

However, apart from some serious and inspiring speeches people collected and delivered, there were also few funny ones. In zhemgang High school, in a morning, there has to be two speakers-one would speak in English while other would do in Dzongkha. There was one morning, a tale of two speakers-the one who spoke in Dzongkha was from Southern Bhutan and in his funny accent; he spoke on “Lobdra na doeboey kab aro garo zo metub (why one shouldn't in relationship with opposite sex while in school” and the content was also so funny from how guys these days to impress their girl friends uses other friends things right from hair gel to shoe polish. And the guy who spoke in English began his speech with... “To be frank, I am not prepared; I don’t have any topic thought about. I just asked councilor (school captain who used to spearhead the morning assembly) here to give me one…………………”…he went on and on like some extempore speech with some silence in the middle. The funny morning assembly got serious when Vice Principal scolded the two speakers for making a mockery out of such opportunities.

Morning speeches and prayers started the school every day. However, now, life has been so much into other stuffs that sometimes I forget that the day is auspicious to offer a prayer or two. If only that games teacher lashed out some more, I would be able to say some prayers before I start my college and end my day.

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Teacher-The eternal Influence

The education for man begins from his home as child, and then continues in school as kid, and then later in life as a man. Learning would never stop till we stop living. However, of these stages, I feel strongly that school is a place where we learn to grow up as a human being, eventually a good man from an innocent kid. And in school, Teachers are the ones who become more than the parents who take care of us as a kid and the person who grooms us not just with facts and wisdom but with humanly ethics to become a better person later in life. 

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There’s this story, and believe it or not, it is considered as one of the most inspiring stories of teacher’s role in any student’s life. It was originally written in Home Life Magazine by Elizabeth Silance Ballard in 1976. When Mrs. Thompson took the fifth grade class, Teddy was the dirtiest, slothful and a bad mannered student. She was asked to review the past records of each child. She would put Teddy’s as the last one until she is done with others. She however got shocked when she read about Teddy’s pass records. “Teddy is a very decent student, and the brightest amongst other” the teacher at first grade remarked on Teddy. “Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home is a struggle,” that was what his second grade teacher wrote. His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death had been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken." Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."

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Mrs. Thompson now saw the whole picture of the boy who she despised as someone who need more love, care and not just the education. On Christmas, everyone gifted her best gifts while everyone laughed when Mrs. Thompson found the bracelet with some stones missing and a half filled perfume bottle inside the clumsily wrapped gift from Teddy. Much to the stifling of other kids, she wore the bracelet, sprayed the perfume on herself and said smilingly to Teddy “It is beautiful, thank you dear.” Teddy waited after the class, and said to Mrs. Thompson, “You smell like my mother used to.”

Teddy became one of the brightest students in class and a year later, she received a note from Teddy which read, she was still his best teacher he ever met. So many years went by, and every time Teddy completed a school, high school, and college, she received a letter each in which he wrote that she was still the best teacher he ever met.

One day, she received another letter in which he wrote that he is soon going to get married and his father died years ago. He wrote if she could sit during the weeding on a place reserved for groom’s parents. And of course, Mrs. Thompson did, and she attended the wedding wearing the bracelet which he gifted her. Nor did she forget to put the same kind of perfume.

They hugged each other. Dr. Teddy then whispered in her ear, “Thank you so much for believing in me and making me feel important.”

Well, there could be so many stories where our Teachers must have had some effectual influences in our lives. Personally there are many in my own life and for their great sacrifices and efforts, most of us forget to thank them or feel grateful. Let alone be such courtesies, there are also many of us who would only remember thrashings we were under from our teachers which otherwise could have been only for the good of ourselves.

Today on this special occasion, I would like take this privilege of paying my utmost respect and gratitude to all the teachers who in some or the other way, helped me becoming what I have become today. Your deeds and influences are unmatchable and I know that this simple piece wouldn’t be suffice enough, let alone be this, even if the mountains could become pages, trees could become pens, and oceans-an ink, it won’t be suffice enough to be repaying your deeds. And of course other Teachers for teaching so many like me out there.

Teachers are the one of the greatest sources of inspiration in any student’s life.

Henry Adams quoted, “A teacher affects eternity:
he can never tell where his influence stops.”

Happy Teachers Day.

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Good humanbeing before a good teacher

Nature had truly blessed the day; the golden circle hiding at the heart of  sea, music of birds over me on my  way back to home, and cool breeze that blew  by me taking all my pain of the day made me feel blessed. That evening walking down the street I felt this was the most perfect day of my life. Everything was beautiful and it was as if dream-come-true and as I walked ahead my eyes caught the figure unusual of other days. Someone was struggling hard to move and as I reached to it I was taken aback to see an old lady laying on the sand and trying hard to get hold of her wheel chair. I helped her get on her chair and offered her my help. She said she lived in the nearby cottage, I pulled her chair and we moved towards her home. She thanked me and offered me a tea but as I was busy I had to deny her offer.

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From that day I never saw that lady and now almost years passed. I got busy with my life and had hardly time to see for her though I wished to learn more about the lady. However, time and situation never goes in the way we want. My life is now ruled by the bell on every hour and the ringing of bell at regular interval would mean change of classrooms for me. Running from one class to another with piles of books on one hand and attendance register on other has been rhythm of my life. Now the music that gives me peace or pleasure is not of songs of birds or winds but the murmuring of my students. Through these voices and murmurings are the voices of the ones who are receiving wisdom and the musics i have fallen in love with. Going after child in the class, narrating them fairy tales and explaining them the meaning hidden in those words has become part of my life.

One day I was taking the class on value education and asked students to tell what they understand about the value education, and surprisingly they came up with many good things. The stories talking about values, incidences and many were what my students came up with to my astonishment. However a little girl in the front row wrote the story about a girl who saved her mother, and concluded the story saying that “ My mother still blesses that girl who saved her life that day, I wish to be like her”. For next few days I wondered about the story and wanted to know about her mother. Luckily I got to meet her mother and I was surprised to see the same lady I met fifteen years ago on the road side. When she saw me, she wept out of gratitude and happiness.

One evening, laying on my bed I was wondering what actually I did that day that lady is still so happy to see me. But the words of my teacher assured me, “No matter how great or small your deeds are, all you have to do is, do it with love and respect” and may be that day I had done the same. Now when I look back, I vividly remember the face, growing red and black and shouting hard from the front. No matter how naughty and careless we were in class, their lesson always had the deep impression over us. Each day made me wiser, and showed me way to my destination. People are true to say that teachers are are like candles; they consume self to light the way for his/ her students. And they had exactly done the same; they had given up their pleasure running after students to make us read. Be there for us when we call for them no matter whether it’s mid- night or early morning. But most importantly they had taught me never to give up, face all situations with willing heart and half the thing will be done. My life was not bed of rose, I fell many a times but each time I had enough courage to get up, I never lost faith on myself and value I have received from my teachers helped me keep walking and now I am here. Remembering little girl saying that she wanted to be like me, I smiled.

It was beautiful day next morning; dark clouds had gone far away from me, golden rising sun has made all things beautiful.I walked inside the noisy class and on other bell, i gladly walked out only to enter another class to teach and be with the noises my students make.

P.S: The author of this article is  Bunu Tamang, English/Geography, Shercol. She is a guest writer for this blog. 

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