Last weekend when I went to my hometown, I also visited my school, the second time since passing out 13 years back, and almost 5 years after my last visit. This visit was motivated by a desire to meet my mathematics teacher, Mr RS - he was transferred away shortly after my last visit, and I recently learned that he has returned, this time as the Principal of the school. If the wish to meet my old school teacher, after all these years, seems surprising, let me just state that of all the teachers who taught me in school and two colleges, there are two for whom I have a high regard even today. One of them is JC, a CS prof from REC, and the other one is RS.
At the school, I had to leave the car at the main gate, and walk the rest of the distance to the school building. When I was in the school, initially the gate was not there, and later on even when it was placed, it remained open in the school hours. As soon as I entered the gate, I was asked by a guard about my purpose to enter the premises. This was an entirely new development - in fact it caught me by a surprise, for a few moments I didn't know how to explain my purpose. I composed myself, and told him that I wanted to meet RS sir. I was in for another shock - the guard told me that the Principal's visiting hours were over [in my time, there was no concept of visiting hours!], and I could meet him only after the school gets over, in another hour or half. I tried to convince him by stating that I was coming from another town, and it was not possible for me to return back later, or on another day. Finally, he found a "workaround" - in the entry register, I was to record the purpose as just "official" instead of any teacher's specific name. The apparent "anarchy" may be explained by the fact that this was a government run school, in a small town which was not prosperous, and where most of the students came from families which were not well educated. The small percentage of students from well educated background also existed for the sole reason that it was the only school in the town where the medium of instruction was english for science stream.
Walking to the school building, there were a lot of physical changes I observed - on one side residential quarters for teachers were constructed - earlier the area used to be just open land, covered with shrubbery. A "park" which had a little grass and some swings was now in much better shape. Another part of unpaved ground where we used to park our cycles was also organized better, with clearly marked area, fence, and a couple of small single-storey buildings. However, the other thing that struck me was that the distance from the gate to the building was not as much as I remembered, and the building itself was also not as large as I remembered it. This is something that has happened with me before - things that looked or felt huge when I was a child, do not look big now. I wonder, if we determine the largeness of an object relative to our own size...
Of the teachers who had taught me, there are very few who are still there with the school, and who I care to meet. I met my maths teacher of junior classes first, and she was happy to talk to me. To be honest, she did not recognize me, but when she I introduced myself, she had no difficulty in recalling me either :-) There was a repetition of the scene with another teacher, before I was seated in the principal's office. He was teaching the last class of the day at that time, and after that he watched over the students as they left the school. When he came to his office, he expressed his pleasure at my visit. He asked after my well-being, and I asked after his, and that of the school. He grumbled about the students' disobedience, and expressed his disapproval of young people taking extreme steps for small matters. He was interrupted quite often with people needing his attention on administrative matters of the school, and I felt quite guilty in reaching there without an appointment. Finally, after a little while, he asked if there was anything I needed from him. For a moment I was taken aback, but told him that this was not the case, and I was there just to meet him and other teachers, probably my last chance to do so before my parents moved out of town. I think he was a little reserved earlier, thinking that I had come there with some personal interest, because after this he seemed more relaxed. He seemed more pleased, and told me that I had come a little late that day, and next time I should come at some earlier hour, before the school got over, and talk to the students. Though I wonder what good I could do even if I did that - he had just told me that students are no longer willing to let someone talk any sense to them :-P
In the while I was talking to RS sir, one of the teachers came over to the room. She didn't recognize me either, but when she was told that it was me, she was quite happy to see me too - I used to be one of her favorite students. And then, she proceeded to something totally unexpected. In the space of 15-20 minutes, she filled me in with the details of not just her sons and daughters-in-law, but also her neighbors, her relatives, her neighbors' relatives, her relatives' neighbors, etc. Including asking me to look out for a suitable match for an acquaintance of hers! I was completely flabbergasted!! I have come across such people before, who keep on talking without realizing what they are saying, but I didn't expect to find one of them amongst the teachers. But more than being surprised, I was annoyed, because she didn't give me or RS to speak anything, let alone hear what we had to say!
Later on, I gave quite a bit of thought on RS asking me if I had come for something. In fact, I was even a little hurt, because I had gone there only due to the attachment I feel for my school and the teachers, and not because of any vested interest. But then I realized that this is how the things are today - people don't have time to socialize just for the joy of it. They call up their friends or relatives when they need some help. They complain that they don't meet them frequently enough, but never themselves make an effort to meet. In this age of selfish interests, who remembers their school teachers? So, it was not altogether unjustified on his part to assume that I needed his help in some regard, especially since he is in a position of importance.
N teased me later, saying that people in school showed no unbound joy to meet me, and RS even asked me if I came to meet him with some interest. I replied that I didn't expect anything more than that [I really don't know what could I have expected], and then retorted by asking," does anyone in your school even remember you after all these years" :-D. I was one of RS's favorite students, and as I am told by school students many years my junior, he used to cite my example to his classes. But, my academic achievements notwithstanding, I concur it as a good fortune that my teachers remember me after all these years.
At the school, I had to leave the car at the main gate, and walk the rest of the distance to the school building. When I was in the school, initially the gate was not there, and later on even when it was placed, it remained open in the school hours. As soon as I entered the gate, I was asked by a guard about my purpose to enter the premises. This was an entirely new development - in fact it caught me by a surprise, for a few moments I didn't know how to explain my purpose. I composed myself, and told him that I wanted to meet RS sir. I was in for another shock - the guard told me that the Principal's visiting hours were over [in my time, there was no concept of visiting hours!], and I could meet him only after the school gets over, in another hour or half. I tried to convince him by stating that I was coming from another town, and it was not possible for me to return back later, or on another day. Finally, he found a "workaround" - in the entry register, I was to record the purpose as just "official" instead of any teacher's specific name. The apparent "anarchy" may be explained by the fact that this was a government run school, in a small town which was not prosperous, and where most of the students came from families which were not well educated. The small percentage of students from well educated background also existed for the sole reason that it was the only school in the town where the medium of instruction was english for science stream.
Walking to the school building, there were a lot of physical changes I observed - on one side residential quarters for teachers were constructed - earlier the area used to be just open land, covered with shrubbery. A "park" which had a little grass and some swings was now in much better shape. Another part of unpaved ground where we used to park our cycles was also organized better, with clearly marked area, fence, and a couple of small single-storey buildings. However, the other thing that struck me was that the distance from the gate to the building was not as much as I remembered, and the building itself was also not as large as I remembered it. This is something that has happened with me before - things that looked or felt huge when I was a child, do not look big now. I wonder, if we determine the largeness of an object relative to our own size...
Of the teachers who had taught me, there are very few who are still there with the school, and who I care to meet. I met my maths teacher of junior classes first, and she was happy to talk to me. To be honest, she did not recognize me, but when she I introduced myself, she had no difficulty in recalling me either :-) There was a repetition of the scene with another teacher, before I was seated in the principal's office. He was teaching the last class of the day at that time, and after that he watched over the students as they left the school. When he came to his office, he expressed his pleasure at my visit. He asked after my well-being, and I asked after his, and that of the school. He grumbled about the students' disobedience, and expressed his disapproval of young people taking extreme steps for small matters. He was interrupted quite often with people needing his attention on administrative matters of the school, and I felt quite guilty in reaching there without an appointment. Finally, after a little while, he asked if there was anything I needed from him. For a moment I was taken aback, but told him that this was not the case, and I was there just to meet him and other teachers, probably my last chance to do so before my parents moved out of town. I think he was a little reserved earlier, thinking that I had come there with some personal interest, because after this he seemed more relaxed. He seemed more pleased, and told me that I had come a little late that day, and next time I should come at some earlier hour, before the school got over, and talk to the students. Though I wonder what good I could do even if I did that - he had just told me that students are no longer willing to let someone talk any sense to them :-P
In the while I was talking to RS sir, one of the teachers came over to the room. She didn't recognize me either, but when she was told that it was me, she was quite happy to see me too - I used to be one of her favorite students. And then, she proceeded to something totally unexpected. In the space of 15-20 minutes, she filled me in with the details of not just her sons and daughters-in-law, but also her neighbors, her relatives, her neighbors' relatives, her relatives' neighbors, etc. Including asking me to look out for a suitable match for an acquaintance of hers! I was completely flabbergasted!! I have come across such people before, who keep on talking without realizing what they are saying, but I didn't expect to find one of them amongst the teachers. But more than being surprised, I was annoyed, because she didn't give me or RS to speak anything, let alone hear what we had to say!
Later on, I gave quite a bit of thought on RS asking me if I had come for something. In fact, I was even a little hurt, because I had gone there only due to the attachment I feel for my school and the teachers, and not because of any vested interest. But then I realized that this is how the things are today - people don't have time to socialize just for the joy of it. They call up their friends or relatives when they need some help. They complain that they don't meet them frequently enough, but never themselves make an effort to meet. In this age of selfish interests, who remembers their school teachers? So, it was not altogether unjustified on his part to assume that I needed his help in some regard, especially since he is in a position of importance.
N teased me later, saying that people in school showed no unbound joy to meet me, and RS even asked me if I came to meet him with some interest. I replied that I didn't expect anything more than that [I really don't know what could I have expected], and then retorted by asking," does anyone in your school even remember you after all these years" :-D. I was one of RS's favorite students, and as I am told by school students many years my junior, he used to cite my example to his classes. But, my academic achievements notwithstanding, I concur it as a good fortune that my teachers remember me after all these years.
