TEARS OF A TEACHER (A Must Read Short Story for Teachers Day)

Times are hard, though. But for her, it's harder. Her second child lies in the hospital, suffering from a disease the doctor called in Greek language. The eldest son is in the university, his fees still owing. Her husband ... well, he plays just the husband. And the government – her employer – would not pay her salaries for five months. The government claim that paying off workers' arrears for the last months will make the state's economy crumble. Yet her own life is shattered. Collapsed. And no one seems to care about that. When her creditor came knocking yesterday, she'd hidden herself under the bed.
"But will I forever hide here?", she'd panted breathlessly.
When Mike is sent back from school, which is likely to happen tomorrow or the day after. And when Hope is rejected from the hospital, soon or sooner. Will she lie here hiding all day long?
"Oh no", she sighs and sobs. She's sat on the chair weeping with her head bowed on the table. It just now occurs to her. Raising up her head, she sees some little boys and girls sitting on arranged chairs before her. No sooner has she set eyes on them than she cleans dry the tear drops that trickle down her cheeks. Some years back in College, she'd been taught that teachers shouldn't let out their bad side or emotion to their students. "It tells on learners' psychology and affects teaching-learning process." "What then should teachers do to their emotion when it arouses?", asked a guy sitting at an end. "They kill it and pretend that all is well. That's what teaching ethics dictate. And that's what a good teacher does, just for the sake of his pupils", the lecturer had explained.
This is just one more time she'll murder her feelings and pretend that all is well when indeed it's way far from it. It's all for the sake of these little, innocent learners. She gathers her cheeks and spreads them in a long, enticing smile. The kids look up to her and smile back. How many times has she buried sadness in her and put smiles in the faces of these future doctors and lawyers and presidents and..? Certainly, she has lost count.
"Dancing dancing I am dancing", she sings and dances as the future champions echo it after her and dance round about her. Future champions, future leaders, future pilots... That's what she calls her students.
They were singing"Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" when the bell rang for closing hour. At the sound of the bell, the pupils yelled and switched to"Goodbye Teacher, Goodbye Friends"; waving their little hands at her as they trooped out of the class. She waved back at them, and gently, tears rolled down her face. Now, she did not weep because her son might come for his due fees. Or because she had lost all hope on Hope. Or because some powers-that-be deemed it good to treat her bad. No. She wept because her students were waving her goodbye; and they might well be gone for good. For ever. Without looking back at her when they become the champions she was training them to be.
Some of them would not stop the song until they reached home. The voices of these ones rang the lyrics, fainting as they went farther homeward:
...goo bye evybody we ya koin home
Goo bye ticha...
END
(It's time you looked back on your teachers. Happy Teachers Day)

Smiling......Interesting piece.

Touching piece. Happy teachers day

wow!,it's inspiring

Thank you all.