A Fable About a Teacher's Influence

<p>Once a young man recognized his teacher in a passerby. He approached the old man and asked:</p>
<p>- Don’t you remember me? I was your student.<br>
- Yes, I remember you as a third grader. And what are you doing now?<br>
- I teach.<br>
- What led you to this choice?<br>
- Not what, but who. You.</p>
<p>- Allow me to be curious, how did my influence manifest?</p>
<p>- You really don’t remember? Let me refresh your memory. Once my classmate came to class with a beautiful watch on his wrist, which his parents had given him. He took it off and put it in the desk drawer. I had always dreamed of having such a watch. I couldn’t resist and decided to take it from his desk. Soon that boy came to you in tears and complained about the theft. You looked at us all and said, “Whoever took the watch belonging to this boy, please return it.”</p>
<p>I felt very ashamed, but I didn’t want to part with the watch, so I didn’t confess. You walked to the door, locked it, and told us all to line up along the wall, warning: “I must check all your pockets on one condition, that you all close your eyes.” We obeyed, and I felt that this was the most shameful moment of my short life. You moved from student to student, from pocket to pocket. When you took the watch from my pocket, you continued moving to the end of the row. Then you said, “Children, everything is fine. You can open your eyes and return to your desks.” You returned the watch to its owner and didn’t say another word about the incident.</p>
<p>Thus, that day you saved my honor and my soul. You didn’t stain me as a thief, a liar, or a worthless child. You didn’t even bother to talk to me about this episode. Over time, I understood why. Because, as a true teacher, you didn’t want to tarnish the dignity of a young, still undeveloped student. That’s why I became an educator.</p>
<p>Both fell silent, impressed by this story. Then the young teacher asked:<br>
- Since you recognized me today, didn’t you remember me in that episode?<br>
The old teacher replied:<br>
- The thing is, I also checked the pockets with my eyes closed.</p>
<p><a href="https://t.me/+OvImEUmA7W5mYTRi">————————— Мысли Рвачева —————————</a></p>