It was 3pm. I hastily wrote on the white board. It has been a long day for me. The morning class was dreadful as if all the eight years old went on a insensible strike on me. No answers. Just blank faces staring back at me. I was speaking French it seemed. No one understood me. I shrug with the lingering thought, hoping this class would be better. I turned around, and a young naive face caught my attention. He wasn’t writing. He blinks his eyes, trying all his might not to look at me in the eye.

I walked next to him and asked, “Why aren’t you copying the work on the white board?” “I no pencil” he bluntly replied. Putting on my teacher’s hat, wearing it proudly, I exclaimed, “I have no pencil. It’s wrong to say, I no pencil”. He sheepishly laughed and repeated my words. I walked back to the front of the class and interrupted the rest. The lesson was halted, I had more important learnings to impart.

My voice broke, “When you come out of the house to go out, do you wear your clothes ?” The bubbly little eight year old girl answered, “Yes.”

“Imagine you come out of the house, walking on the street, wearing nothing. Now, isn’t that silly and not very nice?” I grin awaiting for the response. The children laughed. It wasn’t a joke but I supposed I might have put in some indecent images in their young mind. “Now you know, you must wear clothes when you go out because its important. You checked yourself that you look nice when you go out. So, when you come for tuition class, do you need mommy to check your things in the bag? What is most important to bring here ? ” I uttered, trying to be profound. At the back of the class, the absent minded boy knowingly his mistake uttered, “A pencil”.

“So, next time before you come to class, what must you do? ” I prompted further. “Check my bag and make sure I bring what I need to class” the class echoed. “If you don’t check your things, please come here, naked. ” I threatened jokingly.

I could have easily just tell the boy to remember to bring his pencil but I chose not to. I like to spice things up a little in my class. At least, the poor boy will really remember his stationaries, else he will have to attend my class stark naked.