Story so far: VI C has finally made up its mind about the ST. But perhaps it’s too late?
VI C finally knew what they wanted to do about the ST! “Let’s first tell him,” Shravan said. “If it weren’t for the ST, I would never have known that I like dal and rice!”
This set the others off. “If it weren’t for the ST, I wouldn’t have become the Monitor,” Daniya smiled.
“Daniya became the Monitor, we stopped talking and now we don’t get into trouble with the other teachers!” Priya said.
“We learnt those new games because of the ST,” Mahi said. “And we found friends,” Miriam and Esha smiled. “And books!” chorused others.
It turned out that everyone in VI C had something to thank the ST for. The room filled with their excited chatter as they remembered the things the ST had done. Then they decided what they were going to do ST. “Tomorrow,” they promised each other. “We’ll do it tomorrow!”
Where is the ST?
The next day, they waited eagerly for the ST. When someone walked in, they jumped up. But it was not the ST. It was a smiling lady who said, “Hello! I am your new English teacher!” They stared at her and then looked at each other. Where was the ST?
Surely, they thought, he would teach them Maths! But they had a new teacher, brisk, cheerful, and impressed by how quickly the class solved problems. Now, they waited for the Games period. When they rushed to the playground in a tense line, there was no sign of the ST. They picked up a ball and threw it listlessly to each other. Occasionally, someone would mutter, “Why did he go now, when we’d decided what we had to do about him!”
After many discussions, VI C decided that the only thing to do was to beg him to teach them forever! But they hadn’t imagined he would go away so suddenly. They waited every day. But the ST had finally understood that a Substitute Teacher was supposed to stay only for a few days before disappearing. So, he went away, with no warning and no goodbyes.
VI C never forgot their Substitute Teacher and looked everywhere for him. One day, they were certain, he would come back to teach them new games and new ways of learning. In the meanwhile, they waited, and, while they waited, they welcomed every ST into their classroom. Who knew when a Substitute Teacher would take up permanent residence in their hearts and lives?
The End
