The long journey of one year was about to end. The Teacher who taught English literature was moving to some other city with his family. He had spent almost eight years in the school. The students he had been teaching for the last one year planned a farewell for their favorite teacher. They wanted him to know that he had successfully changed the way they looked at the world around them. Mr. Jackson was earlier planning to leave a week ago but when students requested him to stay for another week, he could not deny.
His room was full of flowers and greeting cards. When he got into the school premises that day, he could not believe his eyes. His students had decorated the entire school.
Mr. Jackson had always been a strict teacher. No one had ever seen him smiling. There were rumors that he had lost his daughter to cancer who was ten years old, something that turned his life upside down. No one had expected that his students would ever arrange something like that for him since he was a terror in the school. He was always the first one to call their parents to school. Who knew it better than Harry whose parent had come just a day before to receive his report card that had turned his dreams into a nightmare? Quite surprisingly, Harry was the one who had suggested the idea of a farewell for Mr. Jackson.
His students wanted to make him feel special. Their gesture of gratitude had made his day. Everyone wanted to see a smile on his face. No doubt, Mr. Jackson had always put in his best efforts to deliver good results but no one knew that he was one of the favorite teachers of the school regardless of his strict behavior.
When everyone gathered in the auditorium, students called Mr. Jackson on the stage to gift him his favorite flowers. Harry who everyone thought hated Mr. Jackson had tears in his eyes. His voice was heavy when he delivered the speech and thanked Mr. Jackson on behalf of all the students and teachers.
In the end, it was Mr. Jackson’s turn to say a few words. He went on the stage, put on his spectacles and said, “I didn’t know you love me so much. When I had come eight years back, I was devastated and heartbroken. I had lost my daughter who I loved dearly but today I have realized that I have such a big family. Thank you all for a beautiful surprise.” He was sobbing when he came back to his seat. Mr. Jackson cherished the memories of his last day at school and held them close to his heart. That day for the first time, he realized his efforts and hard work had eventually paid off.
A simple act of kindness on part of his students made Mr. Jackson feel appreciated and valuable. He took away happy memories with him and prayed for all students to be successful.
