Facebook, where is the best teacher in the world?

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Facebook, where is the best teacher in the world?

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I was not very old then. But I was not young either. I had been in this school for more than a year. Long enough, that I had graduated to a level where I didn’t have to carry a slate with me. I owned my own notebook. Just like my elder brother and sister did. The session had been in progress for a couple of months and it was monsoon season.

She was our teacher. A lovely lady. Pretty and softspoken. And more than that!
When you are a child, there is only one great teacher. And that is invariably yours. So was my teacher. And needless to say, she knew everything.

She taught us elementary math – the addition and subtraction. She taught us really well, for I still remember what she taught four decades ago. Then came the earliest written test, we ever had, or the one that I now recall.

The test was held and the next day, the notebooks had been checked. I scored well and she gave me my notebook herself. Other notebooks were handed over to Pankaj who continued to distribute them.

“Your notebook”, he said thrusting yet another notebook in my hand and quickly vanished to distribute other students' notebooks.
What would I do with this one? I had a quick look at it. Oh, it was almost entirely unused, brand new! … except for the two pages used for the test. So many more pages to write and draw! Whatever I could do with it, it”s all mine! With a furtive look all around, I pushed it in my bag. However the euphoria did not last long.

“…. Ma’am, I didn’t get my notebook,” I heard someone say in a feeble voice.

“Look around, it must be there”.

“No it’s not, I searched all around….”.

“OK, all of you check your bags, if someone has it, please return it”.

Ten minutes, no one answered.

The second appeal came: “Please check again, check yourself. Otherwise I will have to check everyone’s bag…”.

Time clicked away quickly. There was no response.

And then the inevitable began. I was in the front row, so I did not have to wait for long. My bag was opened and the notebook appeared.

“Yes, Ma’am, that’s my notebook”, the feeble voice said again.

It was embarrassing. How would I face everyone? What if everyone teases me the next day? They will call me thief…., I worried.

“Oh, it seems, he got it by mistake…. Fine now let us sing a song”, said our lovely teacher as it began to drizzle just then. No questions were asked, no allegation made. She used the song to distract the kids. My self respect had been defended.
The song continued, as did the rain. Everyone else sung but I simply moved my lips. A lesson had been taught. A lesson I never forgot again!

Facebook, can you find the best teacher in the world? She lived in Bhopal in early 70s, and her son’s name was Neetu Arora.


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