You have made a difference

YOU HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE

- Casiola Fernandes

As I approached my school, something caught my attention outside the school gates on the morning of the 5^th of September. There was an unusual sight of vendors with roses, bouquets, cards and our school children had flocked around them.  The peddlers had sensed the pulse of the children and went about marketing their products in a way they only can.  A child was pleading with his father, “Please allow me to buy one rose for my teacher!” The parent could not refuse his child, at least on Teacher’s day!

Teacher’s Day is celebrated as a tribute to the valuable contribution made by teachers to the society for imparting knowledge to their students, enlightening the receptive minds and shaping their career. For the students, Teacher’s Day is an occasion to revere and honour their teachers, and display gratitude to them for their selfless efforts in shaping their career and enriching the education system in the process.

The students of Std. X of St. Joseph’s, Wadala left no stone unturned to make this day the best day possible for their teachers. They stayed late on the eve of the teacher’s day to decorate the offices, staff room and the school hall with balloons, festoons, flowers…and also fine tune the program for the following day. 

The day began with a prayer service, with our principal Fr. Bernard and the Primary head teacher Mrs. Matilda enlightening us with a wonderful prayer and reflection. The class felicitation followed immediately after.  Each class felicitated its class teacher and some other staff members assigned to that particular class. The children prepared small skits, recited poems, and danced for their teachers. Later the ‘student teachers’ of Std. X took over for one period, and very soon they realized that they had a lot on their plate – teaching, minding, correcting, reprimanding, cajoling.  Around this time, the staff members were treated to a tasty snack by the PTA executive body.  The focus then shifted to the school hall where the program was to take place.  All the students gave a standing ovation to the teachers as they entered the hall and took their seats.

The students of Stds. I and II came forth with a terse yet attractive presentation on the word TEACHER, while Std III and IV expressed their gratitude through the recitation of a poem.  The dance of the frisky boys of Std. IX boys exhilarated one and all, after which, a short play and the song ‘You have made a difference’ by Std. V rekindled within us teachers the flame of our precious vocation. It was a revelry of sorts as Std VIII performed their lively dance.  Fr. Godfrey, our Rector, then addressed the gathering and spoke eloquently on the importance of a teacher’s vocation vis-à-vis the other professions.  The song and dance continued with Std. VII singing the songs “Pyar deewana hota hai’ and ‘I love my teacher’. Last, it was the turn of the students of Std X to regale the audience with their creative skit that rightly ended with a song ‘You have made a difference”.  In a symbolic gesture, Fr. Bernard, Ms. Nicole, Mrs. Matilda, Ms. Cressieda, Ms. Marilyn, and Mrs. Thelma, joined in the last verse of this song dedicating it to the students. In his vote of thanks, Fr. Bernard, our Principal, made a special mention of the students of Std. X who were ably guided by Ms. Nicole, for the carefully planned and well executed program for the teachers.

A special treat awaited the teachers after the program. So off we went to put the shrimp on the Barbie – destination, ‘Spaghetti Kitchen’, Bandra. A sumptuous meal – a la Italia – capped the day’s proceedings.