It was a marriage ceremony. Amid the milling crowd of guests, a young man approached an elderly person and asked if he recognised him. The latter took a hard look and said, “Yes, you studied in the school where I taught, although I may not recall your name. It doesn’t matter. But where are you now? What are you doing these days?”
“Sir, I am Rizwan, and I am teaching in a primary school. I was inspired into taking up the teaching profession because of you,” said the young man.
“Surprising! How come? Tell me, what have I done to guide you?” asked the old teacher.
Down memory lane
“Sir, I hope you remember that a student of yours once complained that his expensive watch was lost in the classroom. You appealed to us to return the watch if any of us had taken it. No one came forward. In fact, it was I who had stolen the watch. I wanted to return it to him but felt ashamed and could not muster the courage to do so. Since there was no response from the students, you ordered all of us to close our eyes and stand facing the walls of the classroom. You then went about searching our pockets. The watch came out from my pocket and was restored to its owner. Though the watch was recovered from me, you avoided announcing my name and saved me from great embarrassment. It was then that I decided to be a teacher.”
The old teacher, feeling pleased with the young man’s revelation, said, “Perhaps you don’t know that even I had closed my eyes while I searched the students’ pockets. It is only today that I have come to know the truth. Children commit mistakes, but shaming them before others is not the right way to reform them. I wish you all success, Rizwan. You have chosen the right profession for yourself. Today, I feel rewarded.”
