Importance of a Teacher in a Student's life

Every teacher plays a crucial role in a student’s life. And when I say teacher, it includes anybody who guides you in the journey of life. Behind every successful student, there is a teacher. And it is due to their effort, a student is been able to stand on his feet. Here, is a story about how a good teacher can change the life of a student regardless of whether he is good or bad.  

Wilderness softened into mildness

                Father Edward Joseph Flenagan (1886-1948) of America was a priest trained in the Catholic tradition. He took up the mission of reforming juvenile delinquents who got into the bad company of criminal gangs and committed various crimes like murder, robbery, violence, and cruelty. In the Boy’s Town founded by him, there were orphans of all races and faiths. The efforts that he made and the patience that he showed in transforming delinquent children into citizens of good conduct and behavior are without a parallel. He brought into Boys’ Town young people who had been detained by the police for various criminal offenses. He treated them in conformity with his basic faith that every person is essentially good, even though they were guilty of criminal acts. He took them into his confidence, showered his affection on them, and endured all the trouble they gave him and all the mischief they committed, prayed sincerely for their welfare and worked for the uplift of these children so that lives could be brought back on track. This was Flenagan, who was loved by all and who was a living model of the spirit of love, endurance, and service-mindedness.

                Flenagan firmly believed that children could be won over by a person of ideal conduct whom they would imitate, and not by admonition, rebuke, and punishment. Here is an incident narrated in ‘Father Flenagan of Boys’ Town’, which points at the secret of how Flenagan succeeded in converting a murderously cruel boy and violent.

                Eddy was rendered an orphan when he lost his parents at the tender age of four. By the time he was eight, he had acquired the skill and competence of becoming the leader of a criminal gang. Curiously, most of the delinquents in his group were older than him. Even young men had accepted him as their leader. Eddy had committed murders. To prove his claim to superior prowess, he had single-handedly committed a bank robbery, decamping with thousands of dollars. With a stolen pistol, he broke into many restaurants and looted them. On one such occasion when he was gearing to open fire on an old woman, he was arrested with no fear of the police. He committed acts of willful malevolence; domineered over others, vandalized everything that he laid hands-on, and insulted others in his class using foul language. He used abusive words while referring to Flenagan, who was highly respected by everybody else. He looked upon everything with utter contempt. Taking part in sports and games, playing in the school band, or working on the field was a source of boredom to him. When others were offering prayers he would mimic a cat. He would spoil in no time the work done by other boys who put in hours of diligent work. During the six months after he arrived in the home, nobody had ever seen a trace of a smile on his lips or a drop of tear in his eyes. He was regarded as a creature filled only with venom from head to foot’. All this was too much for the warden to endure. He wrote a letter to Flenagan:

                “Dear Fr. Flenagan,
                                I have heard that according to you there is no bad person in the world. Could you tell me, how you would characterize this boy Eddy?”

                One night, Eddy was groaning in his sleep. Just by glancing at his face, Flenagan guessed that he was suffering from a high fever. Though he had been offended by his uncontrollable misdemeanor, he wholly ignored it and looked after the boy with greater attention and affection than other pupils.

                When he recovered from the illness, Flenagan, and other teachers, and the fellow pupils continued to look upon him with special attention and tenderness. Senior boys took him to the movies. He was given all preferences at lunch and breakfast. They saw to it that he lacked nothing. Still, there was no trace of a smile on his face.

                One day Eddy went directly to Flenagan’s office and said, “So you are trying to make me a good boy? Do you think you will succeed? Just now I kicked the matron. What do you say to that?”

                “Still I maintain, you are essentially a good boy,” replied Flenagan firmly.

                “What did I tell you just now? You are repeating the same lie. You know that I am not a good boy. But you still keep on saying that I am a good boy. By repeating the lie, don’t you establish yourself as a blatant liar?”

                Flenagan thought for a moment. He felt that it was a turning point in the life of the boy. He asked the boy: “How do you recognize a good boy? He obeys his elders, doesn’t he?”

“Yes”. Eddy nodded his head.

“He obeys his teachers, doesn’t he?”

“Yes,” Eddy said.

“Then that was what you were doing. But, Eddy till the other day you had not had any good teachers. Vagabonds had been your guides. You obeyed them. They misled you. You followed them and you thought you were essentially bad. But if you follow good teachers you too will become a good man,” said Flenagan.

These words touched Eddy’s heart. For a moment he stood, reflecting and silent. He came to understand that there was some truth in Flenagan’s words. They drove away from the deep-rooted thought in him that he was by nature, a bad boy. He went over to the other side of the table and approached Flenagan. Flenagan held out his arms and clasped him in a tender embrace. The boy had started shedding tears; his cheeks were wet with the tears.

Ten years later Eddy graduated with high grades. He joined the army and fought in the war. He won several accolades. He won the esteem and affection of regarded now as a trustworthy and honest gentleman.

The emphatic assertion that he was good drove away from the opinion that had become deep-rooted in him, that he was essentially bad. Flenagan had immense faith in the divinity of a child. See how his confidence was rewarded. The boy, misguided and looked upon with suspicion and distrust, could regain his faith in his goodness and prosper in life.  

If you love the story above, subscribe to my blog with your email and stay tuned for more updates. 
Follow me on Instagram: Bindeswar Saha
Follow me on Facebook: Bindeswar Saha
For any inquiry or if you like me to post your story contact me at bindeswarstudent@gmail.com