Message

Hello folks. Greetings from the land of looms and lores (Kannur, Kerala). I am Anup Garg, 2022 batch IAS officer currently posted as Assistant collector, Kannur. I did my kindergarten at Loreto English school, Rourkela. I still keep my Loreto English School red cap as a memory of my schooling at Rourkela. Then I went on to complete my schooling at Bishop Cotton Boys school, Bangalore.
The role that school and especially teachers have played in my journey so far has been huge. The more I talk about them, the less it is.
Let me illustrate this with examples.

1. Empathy - As an 11-year-old child who has gone away from home for the first time, it is normal to be home sick. But I had travelled more than 1000 km away to Bangalore. I terribly missed my parents. So much so that I even threatened to run away from boarding school. It was then my class teacher, my teacher of the classes, who made me feel at home. Empathized with me. Offered me her home-made food. As a newbie I was extremely scared to talk to others. I would not participate in any extracurricular activities. She herself gave my name for the 100m race. Guess what, I secured the third position.

2. Guiding light - During my school journey there were times when I became lethargic. When I started taking things lightly, my English teacher said to me “What happened to you, Anup? You used to be perfect at everything”. These words still ring in my ears throughout my professional journey. They act as a sounding code.

3. Life lessons - We don’t realize it, but over time, our teachers offer us invaluable lessons which will help us in our professional and personal lives. One of the matrons in our school, taught me how to eat using a spoon and fork.

4. Integrity - It means doing the right thing even when no one is watching you. I once changed my marks in an exam and got caught. My teacher, if she wanted, could have been lenient. But she chose not to. From then onwards, I have never thought of doing something like this.

Teachers often ask us to be well groomed, well-dressed. Trust me, when you go out of your school, you will realize the value of this. Only following these basic things will make you stand out in any crowd.

It is only at school that you have teachers and parents looking after you, correcting you at every step and supervising you. Once you leave school, trust me, no one is there to help you. You are there on your own. So, rather than thinking of teachers as someone who is always behind you, we must take their help as much as possible. We must learn from their experience. Don’t hesitate to ask any questions, be it personal or academic related. Think of them as mentors who are here to act as a friend, philosopher and guide.

As Nobel laureate Malala Yousufzai once said,“ one child, one teacher, one pen and one book can change the world “.