Peacock...

1

Vetri

I stare pointedly at the 9th-grade student who gulps in anxiety as she tries to say the answer to the question I have asked her.

Leaning my back onto the table behind me, I fold my hands and decide to give her a few more moments to break down the answer. In the meantime, I notice how the other students keep their gaze on their English notebooks, flipping pages to study the grammar materials there If in case, they are the next target of mine.

It's been more than 5 years since I began teaching the kids in my village by procuring a job in one of the two government schools in our gradually developing region. I have completed my BA degree in Madras and soon after that, I have returned to my village, wanting to spread the wings of education to the people of my place.

However...it was rather a very tough task.

There are scarcely any parents who want their children to study. But I can't blame them, not even a bit. They are under the poverty line, and most of the kids are sent to school by their parents so that they could eat the government-provided food at the noon. For some, these meals are the only ones they would have for the whole day and that is how feeble the state of the masses here is.

Amidst them, there are some countable families who are considered rich. And mine is one of them. It was our ancestral property that made us a bit wealthy compared to others. My father was enlisted in the military and my mom was a homemaker. We lead a pretty good life and I vowed to myself to bring the other people in our area to a level where they would have food for three times on their plates.

And it is only possible If the education system in our region gets the recognition it deserves. I have been trying my best to spread awareness about it initially when I joined the school as a teacher, but to no avail.

Then I changed my calm demeanor to a bit strict to make the students learn. Sometimes, fear does the magic that what the sweet words wouldn't be able to.

"He has eaten the papayas..." The girl stutter while I slip my hand behind to the table and get hold of the stick that scares the life out of students.

"I asked you to form a sentence using past perfect tense, not present perfect tense, Jayanthi" The whole class goes dead silent and the student who gave me the wrong answer looks down, frightened.

I composedly saunter and stand in front of the desk in the first row.

"Extend your hands," at my order, she hurriedly showcases her hands and shuts her eyes.

Thumb

The sound resonates as I bring the stick down to her palm. The girl then sits down with her head bowed. "Before the class ends, I want you to give me the right answer, understood?" She nods her head and I shift my gaze over the class, contemplating on who to choose next.

"Darsh, form a sentence using future continuous tense," I command, directing my stick to the boy sitting at the last bench.

The enthusiastic boy stands up and looks at me confidently. "I will study well," and the entire class breaks into laughter.

"At this rate, sure you will," I sigh and clutch the stick to impose the punishment.

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Well, That's our Hero's intro :)