Our parents were different. They not only brought us up
but played an even better second innings while voluntarily bringing up our two
sons. While both Neeta and I were busy, first with our studies and then with
our profession, our sons were having a jolly good time with their
grand-parents! This is a story of my elder son and his class teacher.
My son was studying in Class X and was a student of City
Montessori School in Lucknow. This school demanded a lot from its teachers and
every student was designated a teacher in charge who was responsible not only
for their academics but the overall grooming of the students. Ms. Aditi was the
teacher designated to my son and she was fortunately his class teacher too.
Among all her duties, which included
noticing whether he was dressed properly, had polished shoes, trimmed
nails, shining teeth, clean eye glasses, wrinkle free shirt and a properly
knotted tie, she was also supposed to visit our home to have an idea about the
environment we provide to the child and suggest improvements if any were
required.
One day Miss Aditi rang up Neeta and informed her that
she would like to visit our home next Monday. Neeta promptly extended the
invitation but forewarned her that both she and I would be busy with our
patients on a working day but she need not worry because the child and his
grand-mother would be home and as the grand-mother is the one who is teaching
the child at home, she is the best person to talk to. I could almost hear her
hiss on the other end of the phone before she disconnected.
Come Monday, Neeta prepared some snacks for the teacher
in the morning before going to her hospital and gave explicit instructions to
our son how to re-warm it in the microwave, make tea for her and grand ma,
arrange the tea table and serve. A glass of cold lemonade as soon as she comes
because she is obliging us by paying a visit in the hot summer afternoon, and a
box of sweets for her to take back home was all explained in great details.
At 2 PM our son returned from school and at 3 the teacher
arrived. He promptly escorted her to his grand-mother and introduced her. This
was followed by the chilled lemonade and skin-freshener tissue. The two ladies
discussed not only about our son’s studies but about the purpose education.
While the teacher emphasized that she wanted to turn my son into an outstanding
scholar, my mother opined that that is secondary and she expects the school to
make an outstanding human being out of him. Now it was snacks time and again my
son performed the drill to perfection. The teacher was so impressed that for
the first time she let her guards slip and said that she was surprised that
despite being a boy he was so efficient in the art of hospitality. That was a
nasty slip and my mother would have none of it. “What do you mean by that?
Since when has courtesy become an exclusively feminine attribute? If he cannot
make his own tea and warm his own food how on earth will he ever be self
reliant? Why should girls and boys be brought up differently? …………….”and this
monologue continued for the next 20 minutes. Needless to say that my son, whose
class teacher was on the receiving end of the firing line, was petrified.
The meeting ended pleasantly and my mother gifted her box
of sweets, petted and cajoled her with her customary motherly affection and
escorted her across our lawn and garden to the gate. And then hell broke loose!
Standing there was a scooter on which the teacher had come. She was about to
start it when my mother sternly asked her “Where is your helmet?” She could
very feebly murmur that she forgot to wear it in the morning. “No, I can’t let
you leave my house on a scooter without wearing a helmet. Go, park it in the
garage, I am ringing up my son; he will come and drop you home in his car.
Tomorrow you can come with your helmet and take your scooter.”
And that is what exactly happened.
so the 'teacher' was taught! LOL
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