Thank you, Teacher!

A girl is sitting in her classroom amongst her fellow students. They were far ahead of her in the subject that was being taught in the class. This girl is trying her best to complete the work that was assigned by the teacher, despite knowing the fact that she wouldn’t be able to do it on time. Yet, she strives. Somehow the murmuring around her reduces. She looks up to figure out why the teacher hasn’t yet started discussing that work. She finds the teacher looking at her quietly. To her surprise, other students too were looking at her. And the fact dawns on her that they were all waiting for her to finish. Being encouraged by this, she quickens with her work and not only completes it soon after but also initiates to share her work with others.

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The teacher who was waiting and made other students encourage this girl was Ms Sylvie Fernandes, one of the best teachers I have come across. I have been fortunate to be taught by best of the teachers throughout my academics. I can write separate posts for each of them. But I am choosing to write about my beloved Ms Sylvie because when she was teaching me, I was not at my best unlike in other situations. She, in fact, brought the best out of me.

Honestly, if there is a mutual trust between students and teachers to achieve the best, there exists nothing that can stop it.

Ms Sylvie is an epitome of perfection. Her teaching, the efforts she puts into making her students work and all the other tasks she took up regarding school activities were given cent percent. Not only that, she could also inspire all the other people involved in these activities to give their best. Swearing-in ceremony was one such thing, which was being conducted by  her. And it was a sheer pleasure to attend the ceremony at the commencement of school year. Be it prose or poetry, Ms Sylvie would make sure that the student would read it and perceive it in its minutest forms. She had a unique way to make students work hard. Making sentences out of difficult words, modifying the sentences in some or the other grammatical way, finding out and then analysing figures of speech, those précis writings, letters, reports, and what not. These tasks seemed tedious then, but as everyone would realise in later years, they are paying now.

Along with her fabulous teaching, Ms Sylvie also taught us life lessons. She’d be a strict person with a kind heart beating inside her. I remember one particular incident where she taught us about the priorities. Either independence day or republic day was approaching and patriotic song completion was organised in school. Because of one or the other reasons there were few students who were participating. Ms Sylvie came to know about it and spoke to us in her signature style. She said, ‘there would be many more chances to study or sit around lazily, but very few chances from which you can draw the fun of being together. You’ll learn more useful things from being a team than from sitting in a classroom.’ This encouraged me to take part in the competition and I remember the wonderful time we had while preparing for the competition. In fact, out team went on winning the competition. The taste of victory is still on my tongue. I will always remember the lesson of team spirit that I learnt in that incident, which by now must have been faded from the memories of many.

In one another incident, Ms Sylvie was passing by a group of students who were frantically

A golden line in Ms Sylvie’s handwriting, written on the farewell day!

trying to go through some notes before the exams. And all of a sudden, her stern voice echoed, ‘what you cannot learn whole year, you cannot learn in last five minutes!’ Until this very day, I have not forgotten these words. In fact I hear them every single time I’d be preparing for any exam.

Ms Sylvie, who is known for her disciplined working style, always strove for the betterment of her students. Her name was enough to make a far away class get into order. It is not only me but generation of students who will be treasuring their memories with Ms Sylvie. Such an awesome teacher she is! Her hard work, sincerity and stand for truth will inspire me all along. She has supported me, encouraged me and appreciated me in my hour of need. I am grateful to her for all these and many other (magical) things she has done. Thank you Ms! You are the best!

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From my pre-school until post graduation, world’s best teachers have taught me. I call them best not only because they were the best, but because they were mine. They are the best, because I was lucky enough to have them. There are children who have no teacher to wish on teachers day. I wish they too can have teachers as mine.

My dear teachers, I am what I am because of you all.

 

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