CHAPTER ONES: A new boy in school

It was Monday, and the town school started as usual. Ms. Rose Marie entered the class. She was a middle-aged lady, who taught children from grades five to eight. Her way of teaching was very unique. She explained every lesson with some live examples. Students enjoyed her classes and eagerly waited for that.

“Good morning, Mam,” the children greeted in chorus.

“Good morning, everyone”, Rose greeted them back.

“So how was your weekend?” Rose asked her students.

The children were over enthusiastic about their answers and each narrated their own stories of spending their time with family, some went for bike ride around the town, some enjoyed gardening with their parents. Rose listened to them patiently. The interest that she showed in the kids made her their most favorite teacher.

She was about to teach “The Epic of Gilgamesh”, a Babylonian poem that is among the earliest known literary works in history. It narrated the friendship between Gilgamesh and Enkidu.

When a student finished reciting one fourth of the poem, she started to explain the general idea that the poet wished to convey to the world through his poem. Before she could finish, she saw at the corner of the class, there was a hand raised.

“Yes, Rivesh, may I know what your query is about?” Rose asked.

“Pardon me Mam, if you feel I am wrong. I just wanted to ask that do you really feel true friendship exists. ? Did you ever see a never ending bond between friends?”

Rose was taken aback by the question. It meant she had to narrate a story, which she had buried in her heart long time ago.

After pausing for a moment, she said, “Yes, I have seen.”

“Please tell us.” The students requested her.

So Rose started speaking in a gentle voice. She stared through the window for a minute before she could meet the enthusiastic eyes of her pupils.

She said, “Children this is a true story, which I myself have seen in my life.”

She started:

I was teaching in the small town of Bolivia, in South America. At that time I taught students from standard three to five. They were very young and fresh, as you all are. The students who came to the school were from families belonging to average income group.

One day, a family moved to the town. They looked very affluent. They had a son who was around seven years in age. He was very rude and impolite. His parents moved here for their professional reasons. Both of them were doctors in the town’s famous hospital. So John moved along with them here and was admitted to the school, where I taught.

The first day he came, he broke one of the panes of the classroom window. He fought with other children, tore their shirts, pushed some, and broke their belongings. This went on for a week. We teachers thought that he would improve with time. After every mischief, he was told not do it, but there was no effect, no change in his misdeeds.

Later we thought to call on his parents, but they seemed so busy, that they did not pay any heed to our request.

This made me feel that due to lack of parental care, he grew up in this way. I thought of trying a new technique, in order to help John. I made him sit beside the best boy in the class. Martin was not only good in studies but also in everything he did. At the same time he was extremely polite and modest.