Serendipity

I estimate that 100% of Hive users have studied at some level, whether primary school, high school or university; some will have a postgraduate degree. All of us, in some way, have had contact with teachers, I hope so, heh, heh, heh.

It turns out that there are education professionals who have a very good command of the academic area in which they work, and know how to transmit that knowledge. There are also many teachers who are simple instructors, they seem like machines, and they repeat in detail what is found in books, in manuals, and transcribe it exactly as it is; teachers of the fortnight… But, there are teachers who go beyond that, by vocation they prepare themselves and are always up to date, they are more than teachers, a friend of their students, who in addition to transmitting knowledge, preparing them for the next year, bring about changes in their students.

Of the latter, there are few passionate professionals, and few have had the good fortune to meet them. There are films that have made known several of these strange characters, who with their unique stories have left their mark. We have for example:

• To Sir, with Love I (1967)
• Dead Poets Society (1989)
• To Sir, with Love II (1996)
• Front of the Class (2008)
• Monsieur Lazhar (2011)
• Master Alberto Manzi (2014)

Just to mention the ones I am passionate about. All of them leave a sobering emotional message, and all of them have marked me, I invite you to watch them and leave your impressions here.

From an early age, I had to teach inclinations, but I was determined to study Systems Engineering, I dropped out after two years for health reasons; my insurance was increasing. I got back on track and graduated as a teacher of mathematics. For three semesters I taught at the university, but I didn't feel at ease. I did an equivalency in pedagogy and started working with young people in high school; yes, that was my thing, I was comfortable there, moulding those brains. Twenty-seven years in practice, it seems magical. Today I am happily retired.

To make me understand what an education professional is for me, I leave you with a story that clearly illustrates this aspect that most people lack.

_{Image from Pixabay, CoolText font art. Assembly PowerPoint Pro 2022}

On a public holiday, I was walking through the park, when on a bench I found an old man sitting there whom I was sure I knew.

— Are you Professor Lazhart?
— 𝕐𝕖𝕤, 𝕤𝕠𝕟. The old man replied.
— Do you remember me?
— ℕ𝕠, 𝕤𝕠𝕟. The old man replied.
— Professor, I was your pupil.
— 𝕎𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠𝕚𝕟𝕘, 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕕𝕠 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕠? Asked the old man.
— Well, I became a professor.
— 𝔸𝕙!, 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥'𝕤 𝕘𝕠𝕠𝕕. ℍ𝕠𝕨 𝕞𝕖?
— Well, yes, Professor. In fact, I became a Professor because you inspired me to be like you.
— 𝕋𝕖𝕝𝕝 𝕞𝕖, 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕞𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕟𝕥 𝕥𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕚𝕟𝕤𝕡𝕚𝕣𝕖𝕕 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕥𝕠 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕠𝕞𝕖 𝕒 ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕗𝕖𝕤𝕤𝕠𝕣?

_{Courtesy NEWSUA}

— One day, many years ago, a friend of mine, also a student, came to class with a beautiful watch, brand new, and I decided I wanted it for myself, so I stole it, I took it out of his pocket. Shortly afterwards, my friend noticed the theft and immediately complained to our Professor, which was you. You then addressed the class:

— 𝕐𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤𝕞𝕒𝕥𝕖'𝕤 𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙 𝕙𝕒𝕤 𝕓𝕖𝕖𝕟 𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕟 𝕕𝕦𝕣𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕔𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕤 𝕥𝕠𝕕𝕒𝕪. 𝕎𝕙𝕠𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣 𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕝𝕖 𝕚𝕥, 𝕡𝕝𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕖 𝕣𝕖𝕥𝕦𝕣𝕟 𝕚𝕥.

I didn't give it back because I didn't want to. Then you closed the door and told us all to stand up and that you would go one by one to look in our pockets until you found the watch. But you told us to close our eyes because you would only look for it if we all had our eyes closed.

So we did, and you went from pocket to pocket, and when you came to mine you found the watch and took it. You went on looking in everyone's pockets, and when you had finished, you said:

_{Scene from the film Dead Poets Society (1989), the farewell.}

— 𝕆𝕡𝕖𝕟 𝕪𝕠𝕦𝕣 𝕖𝕪𝕖𝕤. 𝕎𝕖 𝕙𝕒𝕧𝕖 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙.

You didn't tell me anything, and you never mentioned the episode. Nor did you ever say who it was who had stolen the watch.

That day, you saved my dignity forever. It was the most shameful day of my life. But it was also the day my dignity was saved from becoming a thief, a bad person, a scum of society. You never said anything to me, and although you didn't scold me or call me to attend to teach me a moral lesson, I got the message clearly. And thanks to you, I understood that this is what a true educator should do.

Do you remember that episode, Professor?

— 𝕀 𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕚𝕥𝕦𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟, 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕤𝕥𝕠𝕝𝕖𝕟 𝕨𝕒𝕥𝕔𝕙, 𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕔𝕙 𝕀 𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕖𝕕 𝕗𝕠𝕣 𝕚𝕟 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕠𝕟𝕖, 𝕓𝕦𝕥 𝕀 𝕕𝕚𝕕𝕟'𝕥 𝕣𝕖𝕞𝕖𝕞𝕓𝕖𝕣 𝕪𝕠𝕦, 𝕓𝕖𝕔𝕒𝕦𝕤𝕖 𝕀 𝕒𝕝𝕤𝕠 𝕔𝕝𝕠𝕤𝕖𝕕 𝕞𝕪 𝕖𝕪𝕖𝕤 𝕨𝕙𝕚𝕝𝕖 𝕀 𝕨𝕒𝕤 𝕝𝕠𝕠𝕜𝕚𝕟𝕘.

If to correct, you need to humiliate;

you don't know how to teach.

Anonymous