….

I think of the wonderful language teachers I had..they inculcated in me a deep love for languages that will never go away.

I think of my music teacher…she was our neighbour, made a willing student out of a truly reluctant, recalcitrant child, and moulded my voice and my classical music tradition….

I think of everyone from whom I have learnt over the years….my parents, who taught me so many things, including the fact that money may be important but not the most important thing in life;  husband and his family, who taught me how to be an independent person without gender-specific notions; my friends, who have taught me the value of the treasure that friendship is; my adversaries, who have taught me patience, forbearance and sometimes, forgiveness; a friend of mine who dealt with, first, her husband’s infidelity and then illness,  with such maturity and sweetness of disposition; my maid who teaches me that one can be a happy person with very little money, the youngsters in my life now who are so patiently teaching me about wildlife, about photography, about software and its applications, about music, and Zen……I am not a perfect student, but at least I am hoping to learn.

But…I also think of the dry didactic teachers who did much to ensure my aversion to Mathematics, my daughter’s Hindi teacher who taught a lesson so well that it was only when I took up the lesson at home that my daughter realized that it was a very humorous piece; other teachers who teach only for “exams” and never instil a love for the subject in the child.

 Back to the positive… I think and salute the teachers who are overworked and underpaid, and work under adverse conditions…who would like to have to oversee the noonday meal scheme instead of concentrating on teaching?

…..And I salute my daughter who has taught me several valuable lessons, and my son-in-law, from whose gentle, wise  example I am trying to learn not to judge people….

Well…every day is teacher’s day, and learner’s day, as far as I am concerned!