Thoughts: Hannah's Blog

I was looking for a word that would denote a person who inspires. I was searching if “Inspirator” was a word (it’s inspirer!), then came across this word Luminary which is used to denote a person who inspires. Today I want to highlight two of my school teachers who were such luminaries in my life.

One is my high school History teacher.  We were preparing for our board exams, we had a few months left. One day my history teacher met with me and said she wants to help me in improving my handwriting. She asked me to practise writing in a 4-lined notebook and to review my progress with her every week. I don’t know how many other such people she helped improve but her special attention towards me, made me feel special. She said “Don’t think of it as writing, think of drawing the letters.”

I think that is when my love for calligraphy was born. I didn’t know about it at that point in my life but I always had that desire to write beautifully. It is so many years later now that I practise calligraphy every now and then and try to improve.

Another such luminary is my Higher Secondary English teacher. We used to have mid term exams and a usual part of the test is Paragraph writing/Essay Writing. They usually give two topics out of which we choose one and write a paragraph of 100 words about the topic.

She was evaluating our papers in the classroom. I had just crossed her table where she was persuing a paper and I noticed that it was mine. I sat at my desk and was watching her expression to know if I am faring well or not. She must have been reading my funny fictional account of my first cooking experience. She was laughing aloud, trying to control herself but failing. It brought a big smile to my face. The rest of the class was wondering what the joke was about. Mam said she hoped that it was a fictional account and that it didn’t happen for real. She said she enjoyed reading my essay.

English was my favorite subject and to receive genuine praise from my English teacher was an added bonus and it encouraged me to write. I do try my hand at some humor at times and share it with close friends to make them laugh.

I don’t know if those teachers remember me or remember these incidents but they left a lasting impression on me by their encouragement and it has impacted my life in a good way.

I am no teacher but I do hope that I will be able to inspire/encourage someone someday. #IWantToBeALuminary.

P.S: A Note of encouragement to all Teachers: Your little acts of kindness goes a long way. Keep encouraging and inspiring your students.