<p class="bodytext">I still remember my primary school teacher. She was very caring, loving, and warm. We were at an impressionable age, and we all looked up to her. One of the first lessons she taught us was the national anthem word by word and also its meaning. She told us that whenever we hear the national anthem on television or otherwise, we should stand straight and motionless with our hands on the sides and show due respect to the song of Indian democracy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She taught us moral science, and one of the mythological tales of a devoted son, Shravan, who did his utmost to look after his blind and ageing parents, touched us to the core. Often, she would tell us stories that were very engaging, and we would insist on more. We would plead with her, “More, ma’am, please more.” She would laugh chirpily. What started as one story would lead to three or four. Everyone loved these storytelling sessions. She would say that we had made her a tell-tale.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Once, after taking the permission of the principal, she took us to the nearby ridge on a nature trail. Everybody was excited. She divided us into groups and instructed us to stick together. It was a novel adventure for us. The jungle had lots of peepal, gulmohar, kikar, neem, and tamarind trees. It was dark, and the light filtered through the branches of the thick and dense trees. Walking through the jungle, we got an eerie feeling. There was utter silence. We were all awestruck. There were many squirrels, butterflies, bees, and birds to give us company. We looked around with keen interest. After a while, we realised that we were lost. On hearing that, some girls started sobbing. However, our teacher remained calm and did not lose her composure. She said to us, “Don’t get upset or be afraid. We are fine. We just have to be in time to catch the school buses.” One of the resourceful boys said, “We have to think about where we came from and where we are heading. Let us observe where we are and look for landmarks that will give us direction.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">After groping in the dark for a while, we saw some light. All of a sudden, we saw bright sunlight and realised we had emerged out of the dark. We reached school well in time to catch our buses. It had been a unique and intriguing experience. All good things come to an end. At the year end, our class teacher got married to an NRI engineer and headed to foreign shores. She influenced me to take up teaching. I aspire to be like her.</p>
<p class="bodytext">I still remember my primary school teacher. She was very caring, loving, and warm. We were at an impressionable age, and we all looked up to her. One of the first lessons she taught us was the national anthem word by word and also its meaning. She told us that whenever we hear the national anthem on television or otherwise, we should stand straight and motionless with our hands on the sides and show due respect to the song of Indian democracy.</p>.<p class="bodytext">She taught us moral science, and one of the mythological tales of a devoted son, Shravan, who did his utmost to look after his blind and ageing parents, touched us to the core. Often, she would tell us stories that were very engaging, and we would insist on more. We would plead with her, “More, ma’am, please more.” She would laugh chirpily. What started as one story would lead to three or four. Everyone loved these storytelling sessions. She would say that we had made her a tell-tale.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Once, after taking the permission of the principal, she took us to the nearby ridge on a nature trail. Everybody was excited. She divided us into groups and instructed us to stick together. It was a novel adventure for us. The jungle had lots of peepal, gulmohar, kikar, neem, and tamarind trees. It was dark, and the light filtered through the branches of the thick and dense trees. Walking through the jungle, we got an eerie feeling. There was utter silence. We were all awestruck. There were many squirrels, butterflies, bees, and birds to give us company. We looked around with keen interest. After a while, we realised that we were lost. On hearing that, some girls started sobbing. However, our teacher remained calm and did not lose her composure. She said to us, “Don’t get upset or be afraid. We are fine. We just have to be in time to catch the school buses.” One of the resourceful boys said, “We have to think about where we came from and where we are heading. Let us observe where we are and look for landmarks that will give us direction.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">After groping in the dark for a while, we saw some light. All of a sudden, we saw bright sunlight and realised we had emerged out of the dark. We reached school well in time to catch our buses. It had been a unique and intriguing experience. All good things come to an end. At the year end, our class teacher got married to an NRI engineer and headed to foreign shores. She influenced me to take up teaching. I aspire to be like her.</p>
