The Incredible Smiling Banshee

There are very few people I know whom I hate. I mean, I really hate. And standing on top of that exclusive list is a certain lady smiling benignly at everyone around.

To all Admirers of this teacher: - Don’t take this personally. It’s just my opinion I am expressing. I am not claiming to have any right to pass judgment on her.

Trrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrring!

I let out a groan as the bell rang. Well, I didn’t have anything personal against the bell but in this particular case, it presaged the arrival of our English teacher.

In class IX I liked attending the English classes but in class X all that vanished as soon as I had one class. No surprise really, the teacher is largely responsible for encouraging a student. This teacher did anything but.

She entered the class suddenly, trying to catch us doing something not so legit. Students hastily scrambled to their seats while she surveyed the class with a gradually widening smirk. I must say that the two things that I detest about this woman is her banshee like voice which she uses to great effect and her awful smile/smirk/grin- it was all the same for her.

After a minute or so when most of the class had settled down she said.”Today, we will do letter writing. You have done formal letters before?” she asked with a horrible travesty of a genial smile.

There was a confused murmur of assent and apparently satisfied, she turned toward the board and began scribbling.

Debarun leaned towards me and whispered for perhaps the hundredth time “You know, I know more English than she does.”

I nodded fervently. If I didn’t, then it would lead to an argument and arguments between me and Debarun were best not started. And I didn’t fancy standing up and explaining to the teacher.

Some boy chose that moment to laugh.

Aunty whipped around and stared hard at him.

“You boy, stand up!”

He did.

“Why did you laugh?” she asked with that unbearable smile back on her face.

“Aunty, he tickled me!”He said, pointing towards the guy to his right.

At this the entire class broke out into chuckles and giggles.

She raised her eyebrows quizzically and said,” In my class you shall not laugh stupidly.”

Then after some consideration she added, “And neither shall you laugh cleverly.”

WELL REALLY!

And then smiling contemptuously she proceeded to give the board her undivided attention and resumed scribbling.

I groaned again, really fed up with this teacher. She has this ability to bore people into silent submission. I groaned louder hoping to get an opportunity to snap back at her.

Totally by mistake I paid attention to what she was writing. It was the month of May and we were doing such an impressive job of resisting both the heat and her but she wrote the month as December.

I was too lazy to point out but someone obviously did because the next second she turned around and offered the worst imitation of a sheepish grin that I have ever seen or likely to see.

“I think that a laugh may be permitted in this situation.” She said sweetly.

She continued smiling and suddenly realizing that no one was reciprocating she turned back to the board.

I would have ever been able to forgive myself if I had smiled that day.