“ACTA NON VERBA” - Deeds not words.
Respect is Earned,
Honesty is Appreciated,
Love is Gained and
Loyalty is Returned……
“If you light a lamp for somebody it will also brighten your path”…Buddha.
Dr. Sarah Patel woke up at 6:00 a.m., got ready in no time, had her breakfast and left for work. On her way, she recalled her school days when she was in Grade 6. She would reach the school bus pick up point sharp at 6:45 a.m. Her friend Leena, standing second/third in queue, would call her ahead. Sarah preferred not to break the queue, as it would be unfair to the others, waiting. She would wait for her turn.
She was excited that day. She wanted to give the birthday card that she had made for her class teacher Ms. Lawrence. Ms. Lawrence was everyone's favourite. Nobody ever spoke out of turn in her class as they knew that they would all get an equal chance to speak.
It was a third Saturday, Open Day at school. Sarah went to school with her father. Ms. Lawrence greeted them with a smile. Mr. Patel just nodded in return. In the next few minutes, his phone rang and without excusing himself, he answered the call. It was a call from him colleague to whom he said, "These teachers do not have any work, hence they call parents for open days on Saturdays!" Sarah's face fell. She looked at Ms. Lawrence apologetically. The teacher's knowing smile carried the assurance that it was okay.
On the following Monday, Sarah had a letter for Ms. Lawrence. It said that she was sorry for her father's behaviour and that she loved and looked up to her teacher a lot. A stream of tears rolled down their cheeks as the teacher-student bound each other in a hug of mutual appreciation. Sarah had a lot of Respect for her teacher that made her apologize to her on behalf of her father. She was Honest enough to question her father's impermissible behaviour, without showing him any disrespect.
Dr. Sarah recalled this incident in minor details as she halted in front of her hospital. She took out her cell phone only to realise that Ms. Lawrence had called to wish her a 'Happy Birthday'!!! Even after all those years, they were bound by mutual love and appreciation.
Engaging Minds @ Billabong High International School Thane
- Ginny Franklin, Ishita Thakkar, Meenaz Khan, Yojana Suryarao, Kiran Pandey, Nilka Gandhi, Geeta Mali
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