The Measure of a Teacher.. ஆசிரியரின் மாண்பு!

கல்விப் பயணத்தில் ஒரு மாணவரின் வெற்றியும், ஒரு ஆசிரியரின் மனநிறைவும் ஒருபோதும் பிரிந்திருப்பதில்லை .. அவை ஒரே கூட்டு முயற்சியின் இரு வேறு பிரதிபலிப்புகளே. தனது அனுபவத்திலிருந்து ஒரு துளியை நமக்காக கொடுத்திருக்கிறார் ஆசிரியர் வ. துர்கா தேவி.

It was my second year in that school. During my very first year there, something memorable had taken place. Along with one of my senior colleagues, I had the opportunity to guide the tenth standard students in English, and together we managed to secure a centum result in the subject. For our school, it was a proud milestone.

That achievement had not come easily. At that time, English was divided into two papers—Paper I and Paper II, each carrying its own demands. Preparing students for both required careful attention, continuous practice, and immense patience. My senior colleague handled one section while I handled the other, and with the collective effort of our staff, we were able to accomplish what had once seemed difficult.

More than the result itself, what I remember with gratitude is the presence of that senior teacher. She was one of the most cooperative colleagues I have ever worked with. From the very beginning she encouraged me, appreciated even the smallest of my efforts, and extended the kind of professional generosity that young teachers often hope for but rarely encounter. I always considered myself fortunate to have her guidance during those early days.

The following academic year, however, circumstances changed. For personal reasons, she did not handle the tenth standard that year. The 

responsibility of teaching both sections—nearly sixty students—fell entirely upon me.

Among those students was a girl named Deepa.

She was an exceptionally bright child—one of those rare students whose abilities reveal themselves almost immediately. She excelled not only in academics but also in sports and various other activities. Her record already spoke for itself. She had secured first place at the district level in the NMMS examination and had accumulated several academic distinctions along the way.

Interestingly, I had never taught her before. When she was in the ninth standard, I had just been transferred to the school, and my senior colleague had been handling the class. Therefore, my first real interaction with her as a teacher began only when she entered the tenth standard.

Deepa possessed a remarkably inquisitive mind. She was constantly questioning, probing, and seeking clarification. At times her questions were insightful and enriched the classroom discussion, helping other students understand concepts more clearly. At other times, however, her persistent questioning could become somewhat overwhelming. In a class of thirty or forty students, it is not always possible to devote extended attention to one individual, however bright that student may be.

Perhaps because I was relatively new to the school, she initially seemed to view me differently from my senior colleague. There was a subtle air of intellectual confidence in her approach—almost as though she were testing the teacher as much as she was learning from the lesson.

My senior colleague, by temperament, was extremely gentle and soft-spoken. She rarely confronted anyone or voiced her difficulties openly. Even when circumstances were not easy, she handled everything quietly and with remarkable composure.

I, on the other hand, have always been somewhat different in nature. If something troubled me or felt unfair, I believed in addressing it directly rather than remaining silent. Many of my colleagues would often remark on this difference. They would say that while some teachers preferred silence, I was someone who spoke frankly when needed. That was simply the way I was.

In the beginning, Deepa’s inquisitive nature occasionally tested my patience. Yet, as the months passed, something began to change.

Whenever she found a few spare minutes—during lunch breaks or in the brief intervals between classes—she would approach me with her notebook and ask for additional exercises. At that time, the English papers contained a considerable portion of creative writing: dialogue writing, headline expansion, letter writing, and other expressive tasks that could not simply be memorized. They demanded practice, imagination, and clarity of thought.

Deepa embraced that challenge wholeheartedly.

She would ask for more and more exercises, eager to refine her skills. Often she would appear wherever I happened to be in the school, notebook in hand, requesting another practice task or clarification. Gradually, the student who once seemed challenging became one of the most dedicated learners I had encountered.

Even other teachers noticed the transformation. They had known her from the sixth to the ninth standard, but the maturity and focus she displayed during the tenth standard was something new.

Deepa had always been academically brilliant from her earliest school days. One might even call her a child prodigy. Yet during that final year, her brilliance seemed to acquire a new balance—an added sense of discipline and groundedness.

As a language teacher, I was meticulous about details. Every word, every sentence, and every punctuation mark mattered. Our students came from a Tamil-medium background, and mastering English required persistent effort. Therefore I insisted that my students read carefully, write repeatedly, and revise their work with precision.

Deepa responded to this discipline with remarkable dedication.

When the board examinations were over, we waited nearly a month for the results. The anticipation during that period was almost as intense as the preparation itself.

When the marks were finally announced, the outcome was extraordinary.

Deepa had scored 99 in Paper I and 99 in Paper II.

Such marks in language papers were extremely rare, particularly when the subject was divided into two separate examinations. Reaching such a level required not only intelligence but also sustained effort and clarity of expression.

Her overall score in the SSLC examination was an outstanding 495 out of 500, and she stood first among the Government School students in our district.

In recognition of her remarkable achievement, the District Collector and the Chief Educational Officer honoured her with a cash award and a commemorative memento.

Today, that brilliant young girl has gone on to fulfil an even greater dream—she is now a doctor.

For me, her success carried a deeper meaning.

Throughout that year there had been quiet, unspoken doubts in some quarters about whether the earlier success had been possible only because of my senior colleague’s presence. When the results arrived, however, the answer revealed itself clearly.

Deepa’s achievement was not merely the triumph of a student.

It was also the quiet affirmation of a teacher’s effort.

For in the journey of education, a student’s success and a teacher’s fulfilment are never separate—they are simply two reflections of the same shared endeavour.

(About the Author: Durgadevi V, Graduate Teacher, GHS Nesal, Tiruvannamalai District)