A Teacher's life is thankless at times. One never knows whether the effort put into moulding a generation of young students is worth it or not.
Over a teaching period of a decade, one gets used to ungratefulness from students. As happened recently. A MBA student who was coming over to collect his hall ticket, called up another student to check up whether I was in the Study Centre. He was apparently relieved when the answer was in the negative, for it appears he wanted to avoid meeting me for some strange reason. And, to think that, this student was one of the few who had spent hours in my house over a two year period and had even rung me up at odd hours seeking advice on professional matters.
But today, I was in for a very pleasant, unexpected surprise. I was sitting outside the Examination Hall, when a young muslim girl wearing abhayah came out, having finished her final year Bachelor's examination. I vaguely remembered the face, for I dont teach Bachelor's Students. She collected her books, looked at me and there was a moment of indecision on her face. She hesitated, but gathered courage, walked up to me. I looked up from where I was sitting. She asked;
"Sir, were you the person who took the first class for us when we joined?"
I remembered when I had seen her. I had taken the Orientation Program for her batch of Bachelor' Students in October 2007.
"Sir, I still remember one advice you gave that day - 'Whatever happens, write the exams in the first attempt and never absent yourself from the examination and you will be a graduate' - Sir, I have followed that advice to date and am grateful to you"
Taken aback slightly that a student took the pains to come up to me and thank me for the one small advice I gave all those years back, I felt a lump in my throat and said,
"Yes sir, I have and I will complete the final year now god willing. Thank you sir", and she departed as dignified as she approached me.
A simple thank you for a small advice given years ago. It made my day. I felt a strange sense of accomplishment.
It also taught me a lesson - that I should say thank you more often to people who have helped me all these years on many varied occassions. I should never take them for granted.
