Raghuveer was just another kid around the block. From the time I knew him, he was one of the most notorious in his age group. After the unfortunate death of his parents, he was brought up by his elder sister and brother-in-law. As a teenager, Raghuveer’s mind was filled with a spirit of adventure. He would spend his day after school playing, swimming and running around with friends. He had a high spirit for athletic ventures. Only his academic performances were not high spirited. His grades portrayed the story of his misdoings in academics. This was one of the biggest concerns of his guardians.
I knew Raghuveer when I was a student myself in the same school. He was in the 8th grade when I finished my boards. We had a brotherly bonding since then and I used to look after him making sure that he performed well in his studies. After I passed my boards, I shifted to another town for higher studies. I made it a point to stay in touch with Raghuveer to keep an update on his studies. However, because of my busy schedule, I couldn’t be in contact with him for long.
But, once I came back to my town, I went to his place to find out how he was doing. As usual, I figured out that he was still not serious with his studies. As per his sister’s opinion, he somehow managed to pass his exams but there was no hope of his doing well in the boards. On further analysis, I came to know about his real weakness. It was not that he was dull in all the subjects. It was just that he had a lack of confidence because of his fear of maths.
I was worried about him and wanted to help. I knew that if I could help him improve his Maths, that could be a turning point for him. Therefore, I decided to do my best to teach him what I knew. I started spending my weekends with him teaching him maths. I gave him assignments for the week and suggested a website for Maths learning. I even got some books for him from Amazon. I checked this website that lists the sale dates of Amazon and got these books on discount.
With a new zeal towards learning, Raghuveer started to improve his grades. His test results were much better now. And because of his improvement in maths, he gained confidence in himself and eventually, his grades started to improve in all the subjects. He used to tell me about his days at school and I was really happy to know that he got along well with his teachers because of his improved marks.
I mentored him for four months and by then he had gained so much interest in the subject of maths that it helped him become one of the top scorers in the class. He had his board exams a month later and because of his newly found dedication and interest in studies, he performed well and came out with flying colours. And, I realized that in this whole process of helping him do well, I had improved my teaching potential. I finally got a clue to my career choice. I had to be a teacher.