Parents versus Teachers
by: Vishwas R. Gaitonde
The teacher was a timid old chap,
A man who abhorred any mishap.
But now he had to teach a class
Whose mischief formed a deep morass.
At first, when he was occasionally taunted,
He let them know he could not be daunted.
They called his bluff, they cooked his goose
On one fine day when hell broke loose.
The teacher flashed them a smile so bright
And then turned to the blackboard to write.
But his chalk slipped with astonishing ease
For the board had been coated with grease.
He was transfixed with pain when he sat on his chair
From the tips of his toes to the roots of his hair;
In a moment of weakness he’d lowered his guard
And not seen the stone with its edges so hard.
And then a cacophony broke out:
A hiss and a spit, a grunt and a shout.
A paper airplane whizzed through the air
And parked itself snug in the teacher’s hair.
The teacher was lost: how to tackle this class?
Censure them singly or take them en masse?
Ev’ry face wore the innocent glow
Of naughty kids who were lying low.
Mired in the welter of tense commotion
The teacher struggled to teach the lesson.
Then one young imp began to howl;
Was caught red-handed in mid-yowl.
The brat’s face now looked so comical
As he was hauled off to the Principal.
For him and his classmates: a reprimand
And detention came hand in hand.
Then into the school stormed his angry dad.
“Punish my son? Say, are you mad?
He is well behaved and gentle and kind.
Principal Ma’am, have you lost your mind?
A good school should, down to the letter
Take bright kids and make them better.
That is your duty, that is your task
Instead, you punish! Why? May I ask?”
The Principal’s voice was soft and mild:
“Sparing the rod is spoiling the child.
You think him a genius? He is a fool!
An angel at home, but a devil at school.”
The dad’s eyes hardened, his face turned red.
With utter disdain, his hands he spread.
“You’re a tyrant! Your school is your fort.
Good day, Ma’am! I’ll see you in court.”
Feelings of elation, portends of doom
Swirled around in the musty courtroom.
Both sides of the case the judge did hear;
Then passed judgment in a voice so clear.
“Children are at school but eight hours a day,
While sixteen hours with their parents they stay.
So the onus is more on the parents than teachers
To steer the child to a prosperous future.”
Hearing the verdict, the parents felt shamed
And the teachers were happy that they weren’t blamed.
