Special Teacher or Special Student

Perhaps she genuinely thought I was a good teacher. But I had my suspicions. She was my student, now working in another unit, scheduled to come back to my unit in the next post, and to continue for three posts. The Teacher’s Day card another resident in a similar predicament and she gave me probably had more to do with that fact than their liking of the teacher. Not when I had revealed by displeasure every time they had messed up, and expressed my anguish that they would come back to my unit. It had been part acting, trying to improve them, but I was afraid somewhere inside. “I thank you for your wishes, but I prefer not to take a card from you. I have no place to keep cards. If you have not put my name on it, please give it to another teacher” I said. I did not mean to be unkind or snobbish. I always made it clear that I did not like them to spend their money giving me cards and flowers. Words would be enough. “Sir, please!” she said, “The message!” She wanted me to take the card because it had a message she had chosen with great care. So I took the card and thanked them again. The card read as follows. For A Special Teacher (I hope the ‘special’ was not as in ‘special children’.) You have always been a role model and helped me set high standards, by simply following your example. You have given me the strength and courage To do my best, And most of all, I thank you for teaching me never to be scared of obstacles and hard work. “That is a wonderful thing you have there” I said. “I hope you have managed to do all that.” They smiled and went away. That all happened two days ago. Today this student of mine turned up and asked me to sign her letter of submission of the topic of dissertation to the university. I signed it as her teacher as well as the head of the department. Then I recalled there had been a lot of dilly dally in the process of sending it to the university. I got her to give me the dates of various events that took place in that process, and here are the details. Event Deadline Date of occurrence Joining the college 2nd May 2009 Allotment of topic by me June 2009 First week of June 2009 Submission of protocol to September 2009 November 2009 ethics committee by her Receiving queries from December 2009 December 2009 ethics committee Approaching teacher Immediately after March 2010 with queries receiving them Submission of revised Within one of March 2010 protocol to ethics committee receiving queries Receipt of approval April 2010 April 2010 from ethics committee Submission of topic November 2009 September 2010 to university I was stunned. There seemed to be gaps of a few months between successive steps when there should have been none. “Why did you spend months in between successive steps?” I asked her. She kept quiet. “You had the permission in April 2010. But you waited till September just to send it to the university. Why?” I was genuinely curious. She kept quiet. “Did they keep you so busy that you could not fill up a simple form and send it along with the permission letter?” The question did not warrant an affirmative answer. She kept quet anyway. Finally I got tired and let her go. She went away with great alacrity. I wish she had shown that alacrity while handling the process of sending a topic of dissertation to the university. Anyway, the Teacher’s Day card was now explained. Poor girl probably hoped that I would not be mad at her for her procrastination if she appeased me by giving me a card saying I was a special teacher. I have started thinking that actually she is a ‘special’ student.