A young man came across his primary school teacher at a wedding. He went to greet him with all the respect and admiration.
He said to him, “Do you remember me, Teacher?”
The teacher said, “No, please introduce yourself.”
The student said, “I was your student in the 3rd Grade, and I was the one who stole a watch from a classmate. I shall recount the incident but I am sure you remember it.
“One of the boys in the class had a beautiful watch, so I decided to steal it. He came to you crying that someone had stolen his watch. You asked us to stand up so as to search our pockets. I realised that my action would be exposed in front of the students and teachers. I will be called a thief, a liar and my character will be ruined forever.
“You asked us to stand up, face the wall and close our eyes completely. You went searching from pocket to pocket, and when you reached my pocket you pulled the watch out of my pocket, and you continued until you searched the last student.
“After you finished, you asked us to open our eyes and to sit on our chairs. I was afraid you will expose me in front of the students.
“You showed the watch to the class, and gave it back to the boy, and you never mentioned the name of the one who stole the watch. You never said a word to me, and you never mentioned the story to anyone.
“Throughout my school life, none of the teachers nor the students talked about me stealing the watch. I thought to myself you saved my dignity that day.”
The teacher said, “I didn’t know who stole the watch that day because I too closed my eyes while searching all of your pockets for it.”
Above: Postage stamp of Thailand commemorating the International Education Year (1970). Thailand celebrates Teachers’ Day every year on Jan. 16. Image courtesy: https://stampaday.wordpress.com/
Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (1888-1975) was the first Vice President of India as well as the second President of India. He was a famous teacher and his birthday, Sept. 5, is celebrated as Teachers’ Day in India.