Mrs. Mildred Lobo
Bunts Sangha’s S M Shetty International School and Junior College

My first experience of teaching was in 2005 where I taught English in Grade 8. Somewhere along the year there was a lot of bickering in the class and students were constantly picking on each other. Around that time I read an article in the Reader’s Digest and thought of implementing the same in my classroom. So I got the students to write one thing that they liked about each of the other students in their class. I then compiled the data and gave each student a sheet with all the compliments written by their classmates. I added a little quote that I felt would resonate with each student. The students silently read through their sheets and I left the class at the end of the session. Later that afternoon a student slipped a note in my hand thanking me for his sheet and promising that he would be like a butterfly that sits on a rock and thinks it is a flower from the poem The Example by William H Davies. I noticed a perceptible change in students’ behaviour from that day onwards. They became more considerate and tolerant of each other. I left two years later to pursue higher education but continued to stay in touch with the students. They are all grown up now and flourishing in their chosen careers. Many of them still speak fondly about that sheet filled with compliments. And a young teacher learnt that small things can make big difference.
P.S The boy who gave me the note has gone on to do exceedingly well in life and I couldn’t be more proud.