A creative teacher is also compassionate. The influence this teacher makes on the students at their impressionable age is unimaginable. One right word at the right time and place can catapult a student into a totally different sphere of success. Following is a story, though tragic, indicates the influence of a creative teacher.

Pramod Naik was a student in one of the first third grade classes that Sister Helen taught at Saint Mary’s School in a small village in Kerala. He was very neat in appearance but had a delightful mischievousness in him. He talked incessantly. Sister Helen reminded him time and again that talking without permission was not welcome in class. After reprimanding him, he always said, “Thank you for correcting me, Sister!” What impressed Sister Helen was his sincere way of saying it.

One day, her patience grew thin after hearing him talk once too often. She looked at him and said, “If you say one more word, I am going to tape your mouth shut!” Needless to say, Pramod talked again. In other words, she had to act on what she said because she said it in front of the class. She put a big X on his mouth. He winked at her and she started laughing. She removed the tape and then she heard the words, “Thank you for correcting me, Sister.”