Surely many a time in our lives we have been in scenarios where we are downright certain that Mr. A dislikes us or Mrs. B never notices our good deeds. Such thinking-patterns usually breed contempt overtime and may lead to unnecessary hatred over irrelevant things.
This post is an excerpt from my life from which I realised that people see and care about me, even though it didn't look like it. I hope you enjoy it.
In my secondary school, from SS1 to 3, I became the perfect blend of Good and Bad — I'd assist some of my teachers with writing notes on the board; coordinate junior students; and later break every school rule known to man (I wasn't proud of this, but slowly I outgrew the behaviour). Anyway, in SS 3 (final class), I was suspended because once (just once) I disciplined a very stubborn student. After my suspension duration elapsed, I came to a realization that I just have to read and pass my final exams (WAEC for West-African students) and leave; in other words, I didn't care about anything or anybody in the school (principal, boarding master, teachers etc) — a bit selfish you might say. My parents even gave me that particular advice and I remember their words like it was yesterday:
"...just don't care about anything going on again. Read and leave".
My Boarding master, who was also my English Teacher, noticed my attitude and that of few of my friends who had adopted same and he sort of started treating us with disdain and say to us "I thought you were responsible"... meaning we've all changed for the worst, I presume. He always ignored us and behaved in a way that signified disinterest about us. When I graduated, he was genuinely happy for me and my friends. It has been more than 6 years since then but I still remember his smiles because they were so pure. He did give me a gift that day, a timeless novel — Lord of the Flies by William Golding — and on the first page he wrote:
"...in appreciation of your consistency & high academic zeal".
To anyone who picked up the novel and read that phrase, it might not mean much (and rightly so), but to me, it meant a whole lot because it spoke of two things:
1. That he saw me:- My consistency (I was always among the Top 3 students throughout my whole secondary school years)
2. That he cared about me:- Giving me a gift.
Out of the few gifts I received when I graduated from Secondary School, his gift was more special to me because I had thought he hated me.
P.S:
I'm currently miles away from home and hence I cannot snap & attach a picture of his gift & inscription.
I took a picture with my teacher that day, but to this day I never received the image from the photographer.
