Uncovered Story

I cannot touch everybody’s heart and soul; I cannot inspire and motivate every one; I cannot make all my audience to smile and believe in me; my body, speech and mind may not be convincing to everyone;  I cannot make world or nation change but I am sure I can make a difference in somebody’s life. That was, is and will be my dream.

Teachers’ responsibility is not only to teach what is prescribed in the curriculum. We have so many other roles and responsibilities which are hidden and left unnoticed to others. I took teaching profession because I had a dream to make a difference in someone’s life.

As a teacher, I have a story to share which have inspired me to work harder;

I was helpless, horrible and useless teacher to him. My stay with him was only for 5months which was very short duration for me to know his details. Class strength wasn’t small, I had 40 students. I taught in class III and II. As a teacher, the very first thing that teacher should know about his or her student is- name of each and every students in the class. So I took more than a month at least to know all the names of 80 students. Within that one month time, I was totally blank with background information of my students. After one month, I was able to know all their names and then I started to learn their background history, their parents, and where they live because I felt it’s my responsibility to know about my students.

As a class teacher, every day I used to have lunch with my class students in classroom corridor. Few of them used to go out of the group with their brothers and sisters, and most of them used to eat with me in classroom corridor. I took this chance because; I felt that lunch time could be the best time for me to have informal sharing with my students.

So one day, I saw two or three students coming to school without bringing their lunch. I was little disturbed to see my little students coming to the class without lunch bag. So before lunch time, I asked them, ‘today, who all didn’t bring your lunch? Can you raise your hand?’ There were three students raising their hand. I asked, ‘why didn’t you bring?’ One of the students said, ‘mother will bring during lunch time because mother used stay near school gate waiting for my little sister who is in class PP’. Another one said, ‘my sister will bring during lunch time’. So finally, I asked to third student, ‘okay, what about you? Who is going to drop your lunch?’ He said nothing. There was no respond despite asking so many questions. Then other students said ‘Miss, always he used come without lunch’. I was quite surprised and hurt too much to know about it. When rest of students shout about him, his face got blushed and his eye was filled with heavy tears. I was numb and mute. It was unbearable for me to see his eyes filled with tears of pain and sorrow. So I stopped asking further question there.

I was disturbed internally, I couldn’t concentrate, and I was prompted with so many questions about him. So I planned to talk with him personally in separate place. On that day itself I called him separately after the class and I talked with him. I asked him to share his problem with me so that we can discuss to solve his problem collaboratively. His was reluctant to share his problems, his stories and situations on that day. So I said, “Its okay, if you don’t want to share your problems today”. I couldn’t force him to share.

In following days I was observing him vigilantly, I started to concentrate on him more, I started to talk more with him and I gave him more chance to participate in the class. I did all these to boost his confidence, self stem and to open up his stories with his friends and with me.

One fine day, I saw him alone swiping the classroom after the class. So I asked him, “Where are your other friends?” He said “they all went home, so I am doing their part too”. I said “that’s good but did u ask your friends why they don’t want to sweep the class?” He said “no miss”. We had shared few more dialogues and after some time, I smiled and asked him, “Today are you going to tell me your story”? He accepted my request…

On that day he was not week, he was strong, his voice was not shaking, his words were not stammering, he was very clear. He said, “I am from Tsirang and I live near olakha workshop with my mother. I don’t know exactly about my mother’s job. She do small job. She used to go early in the morning and used to come late at night. I have one younger brother and sister. They are very small and used to stay at home. I used to wake up early in the morning and used to prepare both breakfast and lunch at a time for my younger brother and sister. When I reach back at home, I used to wash dish and prepare dinner for my mother and two younger ones”. I asked him, why don’t you bring lunch if you are preparing food for your younger ones in the morning? “If I bring lunch there will be no food left for my brother and sister to eat during lunch, so that’s why I used to eat breakfast sometimes and come to the school without lunch”. Listening to these few sentences, I was totally broken and I stopped asking him further more questions because I got the entire message from these sentences spoken by him. With broken piece of heart, I asked him last question “what about your father?” “I don’t know anything about my father”. This sentence was another bullet to hit my heart. Though it was very painful to know about him, I couldn’t do anything; I was helpless, only thing that I could do was to feel sorry on him. At last, I smiled with broken heart and said thank you for sharing your stories with me.

On that night, I was totally disturbed by his words; I couldn’t sleep because his words and sentences were hunting me every now and then. I looked for solutions in every nook and corner, I looked for help from others, and I search for advice from others about how to help that little boy. Despite many trials, I failed to find him a better world and safe place for him to live.

The next day, I took extra lunch thinking that I will share to him but I failed badly because he refused to eat. I couldn’t help him in any ways. I planned to spend extra time after the class helping him to do his home work but that too I failed because back at home he had two little brother and sister left alone. He used to rush home right after the class to look after that two little kids and do dishes. I planned to help him financially but that too I failed because he was not accepting anything and he was refusing very badly. So I failed………………

Though I have failed to help him, my prayers and wishers are always with him. I know and I am very confident that he will shine in his life. My message to him is; “if you are still going through that journey, let me know I am always behind you. The contact number that you have given me is no more existing (the number you are trying to call does not exist). I called other teachers to contact with you but they said you are no more in that school. Now you are gone to some other school, hope you are having better life there”.

This story was happened back in 2013, if he has not failed in class IV, now he will be in class V. I can vividly imagine him, sitting quietly in the class wearing a big smile on his face. Chatting and laughing with his friends.

For you it is just a story shared by me but for me it is an inspiration to do good turn every day. We can never say when we will die though it’s for sure that one day or the other we have face that day.

My prayers and wishes are always with you dear!