Sitting aloof in the corner of the class, a boy with unkempt hair and a freckled face drew Sabreena's attention as she tiptoed into the classroom. The new English teacher took a couple of minutes to get accustomed to the class with its myriad hues and shades. The students were engrossed in their own world-chatting, reading, fighting and sleeping. Sabreena had to ring an alarm to announce her arrival. She shouted, "Whose gold medal is lying on the floor? Who dropped it here, accidentally?" A sudden silence prevailed in the entire room. In a situation, the students began to sit quietly, and try to understand the situation. Sabreena had succeeded in her mission. There was a deep silence in the room, and students with bewildered faces made an effort to recognize the new soul. Taking advantage of the peace in the room, the new English teacher broke the ice by introducing herself. "Good morning, class! I am Sabreena, your new English Teacher." The broad grin on tiny little faces brought warmth to the room and radiated positivity. Sabreena, drawing strength from the vibes, tried to initiate a conversation but could not do it because her eyes got fixed on the boy whose silent presence was making an enigmatic impact. However, his uncanny persona had a pleasant undertone. "I want all students to come closer for a hearty conversation." Students pulled their chairs and started making a big circle. "Make sure that no child is left behind", Sabreena announced deliberately as she noticed that nobody was paying heed to the lonely boy sitting on the last seat.
Sabreena made the final announcement "Last one to join the circle will be the captain of the team". Rahul was left with no choice. Unwilling to abide by the orders, he recultantly got up and became a part of the circle that looked like a beautiful bouquet. His heavy book bag slung over his shoulder as he trudged along the decorated walls of the room. As per the instructions, Rahul was appointed the captain of the team. His defiantly audacious demeanour made it difficult for the things to go through his mind. He was so reluctant to follow the instructions that he started throwing tantrums. Sabreena stood there, calm and poised. She observed Rahul from a distance. Handling him was a daunting task. Students sitting in the circle started getting impatient as Rahul wasn't cooperating at all.
With a radiant smile and composed disposition, Sabreena started talking to the students. She orchestrated an activity wherein the students had to cut the first turf. They started the introduction round but with a twist. Each child had to introduce the person sitting next to them, using an adjective. Zealous students took the task sportingly, and everything went well till Pavni's turn came up to introduce Rahul sitting beside her. She thought for a while as she struggled to find an appropriate adjective to be used for Rahul. Reading the situation instinctively, Sabreena intervened, "Let us be nice to all sitting here. How about spreading happiness by describing our friends in a positive light?" Pavni caught the cue and said, "Meet Rahul, a persistent fellow." Everyone had a smirk on his/her faces. Sabreena also became curious to know the reason behind the adjective used by Pavni, therefore she asked the reason. "He hasn't changed a bit since grade 5 despite constant efforts made by all in the school." Though Pavni tried her level best to think of a positive adjective, her statement sounded negative. In an endeavour to lighten up the atmosphere, Sabreena painted it with a positive shade. "Oh! You mean to say that Rahul is a resilient fellow who stays strong against all odds." Pavni just nodded her head in affirmation as she could not understand the connotation of the statement. However, this remark drew Rahul's attention as he sat on the chair -disengaged and disoriented. The straight line on his face curved into a semi-circle- the smile was a testimony to the fact that he recognized the importance of the positive comment, probably because his ears were not used to hearing something like this. Trrrrriiiiiiinggggggg!!! The bell rang, and the period came to an end.
Sabreena's maiden class gave her memories to cherish and things to ponder upon. She could not resist her curiosity to delve deeper into Rahul's story to know him better and better. She tried to enquire about the mysterious entity from the teachers in the staffroom. To her surprise, she got a chorus answer, "Oh! That pervert from 7H. He is insane and has anger management issues. He has been suspended many times in previous years." Taken aback by the insensitive and unexpected response, the new English Teacher felt a jolt that shook her to the core. Tears might have moistened her cheeks. Therefore, she ran to the washroom, with clenched fists and a heavy heart. The words kept haunting her day and night, afterwards.
“I should not … I cannot …. I will not let it go." She resolved to look into the problem and solve it too. Laden with courage and optimism, Sabreena wore a beautiful smile adorned with a garb of love and care. Students greeted her with open arms as she headed into the classroom on a bright and beautiful morning. She felt welcomed. Voila! The love she showered on the students on the first day had struck the right cord. Among all, her eyes frantically searched for Rahul who was hiding in the remote corner of the room, and also trying to catch a glimpse of his teacher.
"Open up your books! everyone. Let us take up the poem 'Communication' written by Aisha Sherazi," Sabreena announced with a broad grin. The fluttering of the pages enveloped the entire room. "Before we begin reading the text, I want you to ponder for a while and tell me why communication is essential, especially in today's time?. The responses unleashed latent thoughts and gave me an insight into the aptitude and attitude of the students. Unfortunately, whenever Sabreena called on Rahul, he would respond with a glib answer. If his answer was wrong, he would appear to be disgruntled and aggrieved.
Rahul was basically a hard nut to crack. It was quite a challenge to tame his temper, as being a problematic student had become his modus operandi. One day, Rahul was talking incessantly during the class. In the middle of the lesson, Sabreena said, "Rahul, why don't you join our discussion instead of having one of your own?" In a jiffy, he got up from his chair, pushed it over and yelled something harsh and rude. Sabreena, drenched in self-doubt and anger, sent Rahul to the HM's room with a discipline referral, and he received a week-long out-of-school suspension.
"I think I underestimated the situation", Sabreena tried to introspect while analysing the situation. This entire episode turned out to be a nightmare for her. She had never gone that far ever in her life. The week Rahul went out of school was a weird hiatus. She knew that the suspension week would soon come to an end, and she appeared to be dreaded for his return.
On the day of Rahul's return, Sabreena stood at the door, waiting for his arrival. She experienced a whirlpool of emotions. By now, she found enough time to research about Rahul's track record from his previous teachers, friends and parents. During her investigation, she came across certain mind-boggling revelations. Rahul's elder brother committed suicide when he was in grade 5. He came from a broken family where his mother was blamed for his brother's untimely demise. These dark facts of his life made Sabreena guilty and conscious. She could not forgive herself for making his life miserable and pathetic. She realized that his pent-up frustration and anger had turned him into a precarious creature. He had trust issues and as a result, found it difficult to concentrate on anything. Sabreena promised herself to make up for the damage done. Therefore,as soon as she saw him, she asked Rahul to talk to her for a moment. He seemed unhappy to do it but agreed. She welcomed him back by assigning an interesting work to do. Since his teacher was new to class, he was assigned to introduce each student to her. It would also help her teacher to know the students in detail.
Apart from this, other teachers also contributed their roles to help Rahul become a better student by pulling him out of shell. They permitted him to step outside the door for a moment to collect himself whenever he felt like yelling or crying.
Rahul felt that his teacher was walking an extra mile to make him feel comfortable. Little by little, it helped Rahul to open up and get associated with others. Bad circumstances that created a deep whole in his heart began to heal up. Rahul noticed that everyone was drawing a collective effort to make him comfortable, confident and considerate.
All of it became possible with the change made by Sabreena in her plan and execution to handle the emotional crisis in a better way.
-Surbhi Oberai