TWO SHORT STORIES CLUBBED IN ONE!!1. Behaviour"I'm actually fed up of Aditya Mishra!"
Ms. Rupal stormed into the staffroom, slammed her books on the table and flopped in her chair, a bit too loudly to anybody's liking.
Everyone around stopped doing their work and eyed her curiously. Her supervisor asked,
"What happened Rupal, why are you so upset?"
After gulping down a large glass of water, Rupal turned to give her reply to her supervisor Mrs. Kamini.
"Miss, that boy is too irritating. He purposely troubles me and when he giggles, it gets on my nerves."
Mrs. Kamini spoke gently, trying to calm her teacher,
"Rupal, you only teach drawing in 4th standard, but Ms. Maya is the class teacher, she never seems to have a problem with him."
This infuriated Rupal more than before,
"Oh! So now I'm supposed to take teaching lessons from Ms. Maya!"
Ms. Maya was always very patient and friendly. She said softly,
"Ms. Rupal, Aditya is a very sweet boy, you only need to understand him and keep him busy."
"Sweet my foot! He's the most irritating character I've ever seen."
No one knew that their principal Sister Teresa had been on rounds, was now standing outside the staffroom and had heard everything. She quietly stepped in and stood there with her hands folded. When she had the attention of all the teachers, she began assertively,
"I want all of you to remember one thing. A child and his behaviour are two different aspects and must be treated separately. As Ms. Maya said, Aditya is a sweet boy, but sometimes his behaviour is not up to the mark. So do not label the child, however it is important to look into his doings. That too nicely but at the same time, firmly."
Sister Teresa was addressing everyone in the staffroom, but her eyes were specifically on Ms. Rupal.
"Only then will you become a better teacher."
She turned and walked out, leaving behind everyone to ponder on their own behaviour with their kids.
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2. Sportsmanship
"Congratulations Rahul, today also you stood first."
Rahul shook his head when his coach patted his back in the practice session.
"No sir, it was Mayank, I was behind him by a fraction of seconds."
Their coach Aniket knew it, but he was only testing his boys' honesty on the field. He patted Rahul's back again.
"I'm proud of you Rahul. You're a true sportsman."
Next day was the finals. The playground was packed and parents were cheering up their children. In the 200 meters race Mayank beat Rahul and stood first again. When the winners were announced, Rahul wasn't happy. Not because he came second, but something had happened on the field. He wondered if anyone noticed.
When they stood on the victory stand, his principal came and put the gold medal around Rahul's neck. Havoc shot up among the audience and the kids. Principal Sir, called for a mic and began talking,
"Ladies and gentlemen, sports is not about winning. It's all about participation and the spirit of sportsmanship. If you don't build that in you, then you are not a good sports person."
He looked at Mayank and continued,
"Mayank very slyly pushed Rahul to win the race and not many saw it. I could have disqualified him quietly. But I want the rest of the school to receive my message loud and clear."
Mayank apologized and stepped down guiltily.
Shamim Merchant, Mumbai.________________________________________________
