Mr. Smith stared nervously at his chicken scratch on the board. He wondered how the kids would react to his goofy introduction and whether they would respect him or not. As the clock hit 12:20, he started to see kids pile into the classroom. Some straight up ignored his "Hello!" and "Good Afternoon!" and others just quietly nodded their head, gave him a soft smile, and took the farthest seat away from the front.
"Ouch.. This is about to be one rough semester" he thought as he glanced at the roster and tried to match the students with their names.
The clock struck 12:30 and the kids on their own calmed down and turned towards the front waiting to see what he had planned.
"Well, at least I don't have to yell or do stupid icebreakers to calm these kids down," he thought nervously to himself.
Right as he was about to clear his throat and start his introduction, the door swung open and this tall scrawny boy walked in. His face had a very nonchalant attitude and his demeanor gave off careless vibes. "Hi. My name is Troy." he muttered as he quickly grabbed the nearest seat.
Mr. Smith's introduction went smoothly, all of the kids laughed and encouraged his goofy self... except for Troy. As the day went on, Mr. Smith realized how much of an outcast Troy was. He didn't want to work with a group, he had the most negative attitude, and every chance he got, he would shoot down Mr. Smith's ideas and suggestions. It's like he wanted to be the class clown and alter the students' mindsets but at the same time he wanted to act cool and not associate or interact with anyone. Mr. Smith decided to just give him time and see how his behavior progressed.
As the days proceeded, Troy's behavior took a dramatic downfall. Troy started arriving extremely late to class, disrespecting the students, back answering/smart mouthing Mr. Smith, leaving in the middle of lecture/discussion, etc. He tried pulling Troy to the side during class and emailing him afterwards, but never got a decent response. After a while, Mr. Smith just realized that his sole goal was to teach and as long as he was impacting enough students, Troy would just have to learn on his own.
As the end of the semester neared, Troy's grades dropped further and further. One day Mr. Smith was sitting on his desk grading papers and planning the final when he heard a soft knock at his door. Mr. Smith motioned for whoever it was to come in through the small little window. A couple seconds later, Troy came strolling in. He had a guilt-ridden look on his face. Mr. Smith put his papers to the side and looked up at Troy, "What can I help you with Troy?"
Troy grabbed a chair and pulled it up to Mr. Smith's desk. "Mr. Smith, I came here to sincerely apologize. I know I've made your first semester teaching at this school extremely hard and I'm sorry. I've had a really rough semester with my family and friends. A lot has changed in my life and nothing seems right anymore. I don't know where I fit in, I don't know who my true friends are, I'm not even sure what major or career path I want to follow. I used to be so strong and confident and now i'm weak and feel like a coward. I feel like I just use my carefree attitude as a mask to cover how I really feel. But Mr. Smith, I really am drowning. My grades are terrible in this class and if I don't pass this class, I know that I won't be able to move on to any of my major-related classes. Is there anyway that you can help me?"
Mr. Smith just sat there in utter shock and silence. Out of every kid in his class, this was the last person he had expected to walk in and say all this stuff. Mr. Smith sat there for a minute just absorbing everything that Troy had just said. Troy had really been the worst student and had given him such hard times. But then he thought back to the role of being a teacher. This was his job. He had signed a contract when he became a teacher to work with every single student and treat each one fairly. Mr. Smith pulled out a blank sheet of paper and told Troy they were going to make a mini timeline, things that Troy could do to bring his grade up to a C, homework and quizzes that he could possibly make-up, extra-credit that the class would be given before the final, and studying tips for the final itself.
As the last few weeks progressed, Mr. Smith noticed the progress that Troy was making. He really was such a brilliant and passionate student. If only Troy had done this earlier, then this semester would have worked so well in his favor. Troy ended up making a C in the class and actually passing the final with flying colors. Troy nor Mr. Smith could believe how much Troy and his work ethic had changed over the semester.
Troy now understood that even though problems constantly arise and occur, life is life. These things will never stop or just disappear. Troy realized that school is and always will be a top priority. When it's time for class, all problems and worries should be left at the door and his sole focus should be in class.
Shiva: The All-Forgiving
(Image Information: Photo retrieved from Shiva)
Author's Note: This was a remake to Guha's story in Buck's Ramayana. When Rama, Sita, and Lakshmana were received by Guha in the forest, he told them how he had rejected Shiva's priests and kicked the statue of Shiva everyday. But when Guha died and was being lead to Yama's realm, Shiva actually rescued him because he considered Guha to be his most devout follower. This story was just a modern little tale showing how even though Troy was so disrespectful and mean to his teacher, when Troy was drowning, Mr. Smith was the one that rescued him.
Bibliography: Buck, William (1976). Ramayana: King Rama's Way.
