…because (for me) that was not a JOB !

St. Mary’s School – Another beautiful chapter!

When you forget to collect your salary after leaving your job, that moment becomes a perfect realization of how much you’ve loved your work!

Well, yes I am talking about myself working as a school teacher (particularly a subject teacher previous year, for a very short period). I went there, I taught and when I left the job after completing my session, I thought about the lovely kids, about the staff out there, about my daily routine, about my subject which I was teaching, thought about the lesson plans as well (which I hardly followed!), thought about everything else and forgot about my salary.

Slowly, when I adjusted myself back into my earlier routine I found myself somewhere thinking about those little monsters but still I hardly had any thought related with my salary of last two months. One fine day when I went to an ATM to get little cash, I found my account was showing 975 rupees to me. I had one bad expression on my face that, “my goodness! I am not left with even a thousand rupee note in my life!!” and then I thought about all the options from where I could get the money! This was the moment when I thought about my salary.

Now, this was stupid!! Yes, forgetting about your salary when you are rich enough is OK, but for a person like me who works even for 500 bucks as freelancer is not at all acceptable, I felt!

It took me only few seconds to understand something which I found was, amazing. Yes, that wasn’t stupid, rather I never worked there as an employee and it was never a job for me. It wasn’t. Really! It was a commitment to my professor that I will go and teach just because the school had a need for a substitute teacher, and more than that it was all about going for something new as always, and money was I guess the last option which I should consider!

Let me say this, it was an amazingly amazing experience of being with the kids. They made me look back and understand how simple things can be and also showed me the highest degree of purity.

I taught them for a very short period. I was teaching them how to be mature enough in life and think rationally and they taught me innocence.

Loved them.. Loved my work.. Overwhelmed with their response when they heard that I am leaving! They were upset with me after knowing that I am leaving, but why! they knew it from the very start that I was a substitute and I had to go.!

"You made the subject more interesting" when they said, I achieved.

When I joined it was a day close to ‘friendship’s day’, I received two bands of friendship and I laughed over it. I found it stupid. I convinced myself by calling them ‘emotional kids’ but they gave me unending love.

When I was leaving I was flooded with the handmade cards having beautiful and lovely messages all over, not at all typical copy- paste messages!

One more thing which I really really loved is that I received more than 35 - 40 'farewell/goodbye/miss-you' cards in which 9 cards were made by the special students.

One special student came to me said, "I can't make a beautiful card like others but I have something for you.”, and he gave me a message written on a plain paper which reads like this, "why are you leaving ... Please come back soon next year. I will wait. I will study Hindi whenever I will miss you." Probably this was something which I wanted to hear but was not expecting this from a special student of class 6th.

One good experience! One good learning!

Thank you life! Many thanks for choosing me!