3/4
"I was looking at the father, wondering what (worst?) was coming my way. He continued, ‘This is unbelievable. We never knew our child could do this!’ I glanced at Nimesh with a confused smile. His father’s intentions were not coming through—whether he was complimenting me or being sarcastic? The child was all smiles, and so was his mother, sitting beside him. It did not seem like a danger. Sigh. I looked at the father as he spoke further. ‘Madam, first, a big thank you to you. Our child’s academic performance has escalated like anything.’
He slid the report card towards me as he announced:
Math: 19/20.
SST: 20/20.
English: 17.5/20.
Science: 20/20.
Pride was shining on their faces as the marks were swirling in the air. I felt happy for Nimesh, but I doubted why the father thanked me so much? I expected this result already.
His father surprised me when he said, ‘Nimesh was failing in most subjects till the last exam.’
‘It was a headache convincing Nimesh to sit and study. He would always look for an escape and cause a lot of trouble. We even tried expensive tutors, but no success. There was no one he was listening to. It was difficult to manage him. Finally, I left my job and gave my entire time to him. I was pitching for passing marks, if not anything,’ added his mother.
‘Madam, we almost gave up hope. But in the past few weeks, everything changed. We saw him studying voluntarily, maintaining a disciplined schedule, and he is also growing sensitive to important matters.’
‘We could not contain our curiosity and asked him about it, and he mentioned your name. He said, “My new class teacher takes care of everything. She is the best teacher ever.” Later, when we understood his marks, we were in utter surprise.’
His mother continued, ‘I vividly remember how happy my child was—he was jumping, hopping, dancing around the house, and praising you all the way. That day felt like meeting a brand new version of my child.’
‘I’d stopped attending such meetings because the previous teachers always complained about him. We were on the verge to remove him from this school, out of shame.
Why wait for these people to sue my child, no? But this time we have proudly come to meet you.’ concluded his father.
I was awestruck hearing all this. I stared at Nimesh in wonder—I had never imagined this side of him.
I wondered, am I really responsible for this change? Did I make such a major impact on his mind?
I turned towards Nimesh and asked if he wanted to say something about this? I was moved by his expression. He confessed to me something that not only took my attention but also of the other people present in the room."
*Name has been changed to protect privacy.
RELATED TO THIS STORY:
Display Image Credit: Freepik
I'll see you tomorrow with the fourth and final part of this story. Meanwhile, subscribe to my blog to never miss any content updates!