The English Teacher

Mrs Promil Chona was my English Teacher from 6th to 10th standard. She was a highly dedicated lady & considered students as her own children. She believed that students are the future of the nation & whatever she can teach them, is definitely going to add some value to their life. That's why along with English as a subject, she used to teach stories with moral values & a lesson for putting positive changes in society.

She sometimes requested that students in his class should try to speak English with her & also with each other in her class. Once very respectfully, one of my friends said that "Mam, Hindi is our mother tongue & we are more comfortable with Hindi. Why should we speak in English then? We understand this subject, English, & we are confident that we will score Good in the examination."

Mrs Chona smiled & said, "Dear students, if you are studying any subject with the viewpoint of just qualifying for the examination, you will never become a knowledgeable person & in examination also, you will not do well.

But if you study from the viewpoint of understanding the subject & realising its utilisation in real life, the subject will become more interesting for you. You will score good & prepare yourself for a bright future."

She always insisted that students should speak English in her class but still very few people were serious about it. Seeing the hesitation & lack of confidence of some students, one day she said that, " Students, from now onwards, after finishing my lecture, I will make you stand in front of the entire class & deliver read a chapter from your book". Some of the students felt excited & some of them felt nervous.

The next day, she started this activity with nervous students. Very politely she said, "Just read the paragraph loudly in front of the class. If you make any mistakes, I am here to rectify them. So don't worry, just be confident."Her words worked miracle & students participated very enthusiastically. Gradually by daily practice, all of us became very confident in spoken English. Seeing our confidence, one day she gave us s very beautiful surprise. She entered our classroom with much enthusiasm & said, "Students, I have a surprise for you. The school is organizing & a speech competition. The winner is going to get a gold medal & a golden trophy. Along with that, all the participants will get a bunch of story books & a geometry box. So please, interested candidates, kindly give me your nominations for the event."

I was very excited & decided to participate. I gave my nomination & started preparing thoroughly. Firstly I wrote my speech after taking references from great books & the internet. Then I memorized the speech very thoroughly. After that, I listened to many great motivational speakers on the internet so that I can understand how effectively I should speak, how to make pauses, how to manage facial expressions & how to maintain eye contact with the audience to get them more involved. 

After this, I stood in front of the mirror & spoke with my mirror image. Speaking with your mirror image gives you the same impression as if you are speaking to some other person & hence makes you more confident.

Finally, the day of the speech came. Everyone was so excited. There was an atmosphere of joy & happiness all around. As I was sitting with other participants, Mrs Chona came & said, "Students, always remember, merely speaking in an event is not important. Whenever some other speaker is speaking, observe that person very carefully. His facial expression, body movements, pauses & indulgence with the audience. By doing this, you will remove your shortcomings & project yourself as confident speakers."

We not only became more confident in her encouraging words but something unexpected also happened. Yes, I won the golden trophy & stood 1st in the composition. Everyone was so happy. My parents were blessing me. My mom was shedding tears of happiness. All the parents were happy because to boost the confidence level of students, all the participants were given gifts & certificates.

All my success was because of one lady & that was Mrs Promil Chona, my English Teacher. I rushed towards her & touched her feet. She gave me her blessings & said, "I knew you will do it. God bless you. Be happy always"

It was really the most memorable day of my life & yes, it was all because of Mrs Promil Chona. May God provide such an honest & devoted teacher to every student in the country.