Nice is not a nice word...!

This post is dedicated to one of the most wonderful teachers in the world- Irvinder ma'am. Thank you, ma'am :)

Irvinder ma'am was my English teacher at Sherwood Public School, and what a teacher she is! From engaging us in her English lessons with her rich, expressive accent to being a friend outside class, she has always been an inspiration. She extended her educational boundaries to teaching us how to study survey maps in Geography class! How cool is that?! She treks the Himalayas, sings sweetly, writes poetry and cooks wonderfully, with a lovely smile! She is a gem of a person- dedicated, caring and loving.

Her classes transported me to another world. I can proudly say that she is responsible for my growing interest in literature, arts, and the belief that we are children of substance! Irvinder ma'am is in my literary conscience all the time. She is one of the reasons I have been a perpetual topper in English! When I left Sherwood, I found it difficult to let in any other English teacher for a long time. But she taught me how to accept that every one of those teachers has a different approach and that I only had to look for what I needed to keep learning.

Instructions turned into life-long lessons-

•  In the 3rd grade, she took away our erasers for the hour. It taught us to bring neatness out of our minds and onto paper, which is a valuable lesson that I carry with me to this day. The minute you think you possess the tools or have the ability to erase something, you take the liberty of repeating errors. But life is not like that, it's different. You cannot erase your mistakes. All you can do is to flip the pages and move on, with the past somewhere at the back of your mind. So you might as well think out a strategy and execute it flawlessly.

• Bad words are useless. It might sound very childish in a world where using the 'f' and 'b' words are shockingly involuntary. I am not a model citizen but I have always believed in and followed the saying "Bad words are useless." They really are. What does one achieve using bad language? They are distasteful and have no positive impact. Ma'am showed us that there are more constructive ways of channelizing our anger. Cheers to a teacher who has taught me how to be more respectful. No matter how badly one has abused me, I can hold my head high and say that I have never retaliated. 

• Nice is not a nice word. Ma'am said, "Children, did you like the story?" Class, "It's very nice, ma'am". Imagine madam's annoyance! So many beautiful words in the English language and nice is the only word that pops into our minds! We can enhance experiences by describing them the way they are meant to be- uniquely! The Dal lake and mummy's chocolate cake- are they both just...nice? Or would you rather say the 'picturesque' Dal lake and mummy's 'delicious' chocolate cake? Personally, I think people are afraid of being teased for sounding ancient and poetic by using rich, flowery language. Try it, it's such a happy feeling because all of a sudden, the world begins to look a lot like Heaven! 

It is a blessing to have a teacher like you, Irvinder ma'am, and I will cherish memories of being your student forever :)