Yesterday, one of our student came to meet us. After two days, he is going to fly to US for higher studies. So he came to say "Good Bye"(or to put it positively - "See You Later")! Moments like these are so cherish-able in teacher's life! While talking to him only I realized that a teacher is someone who bids farewell to highest number of people in a lifetime. Sometimes I wonder, while leaving, do the students take away a piece of you? And does the size of the piece depend on how much you were connected with that student? And what happens when they come and meet you to tell their success stories? Why we as teachers feel energetic after meeting them? Does that piece fit back in us?
Every departing batch gets a special treatment through a function called "Farewell". Since every batch is unique, every farewell is also unique. Students share lots of moments of their time. They laugh, cry, admit or express gratitude. I had conquered stage fear in my MSc farewell only when for the first time in my life, I voluntarily went in front of the audience and spoke something that I felt! As a teacher, I always have to say something to the batch on this occasion and this for me is not an easy task.
On one such occasion, I decided to give a speech in the form of poetry because that batch had few students who used to do poetry in functions. My speech went like this -
To Principal Ma'm, teachers & students,
a very good afternoon,
I am going to keep it simple
and finish it soon!
We have gathered to bid
A farewell to TY!
As FY,SY call it,
Its a farewell...not a good-bye!
Three years of college life
You will love to rewind,
And I am going to do it
In a manner of one of its kind!
When you had joined VES
And entered the campus,
Something was waiting for you,
It was university's new syllabus!
New technologies and subjects
Had lots of difficulties,
All must have been solved
By all the faculties!
Whether its classrooms, labs,
Library or forum hall,
Compared to other colleges
Hope you had best of all!
Some people call its so-so,
And some say its good,
But still you will never forget
Our favorite canteen food!
Sagacity, Talentia,
Mathemight or Sports,
You must have enjoyed
And had fun of all sorts!
The time starts now to hit the
Final gear of studies,
To prepare for exams, placements
And to forget all the worries!
From all of us here, wish you
Best of luck and have a great future,
But if we call you some day,
Hope you will answer - "Yes Ma'm" or "Yes Sir"!
And the students enjoyed a lot. Don't know because of the poem or because of the fact that the speech got over in 2 mins :) For one batch, I decided - I would not say, I would play-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fV0k-KDQKY8
The video was shot by the same batch to which the student whom I mentioned(at the beginning of this blog) belonged. Sometimes I wonder, what I would say to a batch which would be my last batch before retirement.
Bye for now....
