Nazia Ruby, was by far the most dynamic lady teacher of my Crescent History. So fast, and so much into your face, she was intimidating..
I had a small shoot out with her, when I was somewhat late to return from lunch to her lecture
I said, “Can I come in, Miss”
She replied, “May I come in..” and gave me an annoyed look
I corrected myself, “May I come in” … She then asked “Why are you so late”
I said, “I gone to meet ….” ,,She “I had gone to meet..” ,, I “I had gone to meet Archana Maam, to submit form “.. She had a pause for a millisecond “Which form”, I said “Scholarship exam form”..
She said, “Why didn’t you submit the form earlier, why are you so late “
I said, ” I had gone in lunch to meet her…”,, She “I had gone during lunch..”, I corrected, ” I had gone to meet her during lunch, she was not back, so I…” ,, She “had not come back”,,, I just continued “so I waited for her to come back, to submit the form “
She then poked, “This is why, you should talk with your friends in English”
I looked around, none of my friends were looking at me, all were staring at the bench… so I turned around and said, “Sure “
It worked.. No, I did not begin chatting in English with my ‘friends’,, but for the rest of the year, I was the first one back to class after lunch,,, sometimes when I thought I would be late to come back, I used to have lunch in the class itself…avoiding a Shootout at Lunchwala, was more important than food.
She taught, History, Civics, Social Science, sometimes Economics, and one time also English,, I also remember her taking a Science class once… Ok, I really don’t remember exactly what she taught, but I do remember every time she was in class, my heart used to pound heavily,never knew from which direction a bullet may come, we all used to be on hyper alert… then again I think it was the high pitch of her voice, which made everyone attentive…
Nazia ruby, was the jack Nicholson of our school, rumbling energy, like a wild west movie, she could get her gun out of the holster and just fire through you, before you had a chance to think.. you would be dead
She was loud, yes, really loud, when she taught in a classroom, the corridors would be full of her voice,, speaking to her was the most difficult part,, she would just correct you, your grammar, your choice of words,, yet she brought a much needed dynamism to the school, she was a presence in the classroom, students from 1st bench to last were in rapt attention, she could just fire a question in the classroom at you, and her eyes itself were enough to kill you at your wrong answer.
and yes she was the nightmare supervisor at exams, if you had planned on copying your way to pass in the test, seeing her with the bundle of exam papers could almost sink your heart into a pause..
She had an on and off relationship with Crescent high school, sometimes in for a six months, then suddenly disappear, then again to appear at the start of next year.. never understood… The one person I genuinely pitied was my friend, who stayed in the apartment next to her’s and in all their wisdom his parents had decided to send him to her place for extra tuition’s…it must have been really an experience.
all in all I can say that there are few teachers who do not teach you many subjects or are there only for a few months,
yet they manage to leave an impression which much more lasting than anything
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