Himal Limbu
As usual I entered my class. The children of class seven greeted me in regular way. I started teaching a story ‘Wrong Turn in the Jungle’. It was a reading text which enables students to have the quality of struggle for survival. In the mean time of teaching learning activities, a boy with straight hair stood up with rage. He was in tears and complained, “Excuse me sir. This boy often rubs my ear”. He pointed to his side friend sitting next to him. I approached them to understand the problem.
He further said, “Sir, look at my ears. They are aching much”. I checked his right ear. They were red in color and hot in touch. I saw he was really annoyed by his friend. I was also angry due to the disturbance in my class. I raised my right hand to hit the troublesome kid with curly hair. Abruptly, I stopped. The mischievous boy asked me an excuse. He seemed meek and humble in his face and body gestures. I let him finish his urge.
“Sorry sir. In fact it’s my habit. I can’t stay without touching ears. I rub my own ears or ears of my friends nearby” he said.
I could not think of the problem and solution at once. I assumed the boy was telling a lie to me. I turned to the boy who was the victim of ear twig. He nodded his head and replied, “Yes. He usually pulls his ears or ears of his friends”. I remembered a famous footballer who was suspended for biting ears of other players in the playground. I thought the mischievous boy also might have an attitudinal problem.
I asked him, “Why do you rub ears?”
The boy replied,” I don’t know sir. I like pulling ears”.
Somewhere I had studied that ear and mind has direct connection. The smooth rubbing of ears helps to draw concentration. The kid might have this habit for his restless mind as a preventive measure. An idea sparked in my mind. I tore off a blank page of a note copy and handed him. I suggested him to hold the piece of paper in his clinch all the time. Then his fingers and fist would be involved in the grip of something. Then he could not pull and rub his ears and other’s ears. The kid was ready to give up the habit. He took a handful of paper in his left hand and the book in his right hand. It was a temporary solution for the habit. What might be a right and permanent solution to avoid a bothering habit?
Next day I was in the same class. The same boy with straight hair stood up and spoke to me, “Sir, I had a strange dream yester night.”
“What was the dream?”
“Sir, I was chased by an earwig. I was nearly bitten up by the insect.”
“Haha… What a funny dream! Didn’t you get scared?”
“Scared. But I was saved by you.”
“Again, you made me laugh. How did I save you?”
“You came and chased away the earwig.”
“Oh, I rescued you from danger. You should thank me.”
“Thank you so much sir for your help in my dream. I was really panicked at that time.”
“What cowardice! Why do you fear an earwig? It’s a tiny insect.”
“Not a tiny insect sir. It was very big like a giant. Only face of earwig.”
“Haha… What an amazing story! An earwig as big as giant!”
“Yes, sir. It got a pair of hands, legs and wings too. It was running after me.”
“Oh, my dear boy. It was just a dream. Your fear created the dream. Are you afraid of earwig?”
“Yes, I’m.”
“Here is the dummy of earwig face.” The boy, who scratched his friends’ ears yesterday, took out a plastic face cover-dummy of earwig from his bag. Jesan, the boy with straight hair got shocked and panicked by seeing the earwig’s dummy. He shouted, “Throw it away. It’s scary. It’s a freak creature.”
I held him in my arms. I said, “Don’t fear. It’s a plastic dummy. It’s not real creature.”
“I am really scared, sir. Tell him to dispose out.”
“I am here to rescue you Jesan, in reality too, not only in your dream.”
Jesan felt comfortable after hearing my words. He remained silent. I seized the dummy of earwig from the boy with curly hair. I warned him not to bring such scary things in school. The boy said, “Sir, Jesan must have a bad dream because of horror movies. I shared him yesterday.”
“Jesan, did you watch the horror movie yesterday?”
“Yes sir. It was of earwig.”
“Then you have that bad horrible dream. It’s your psychic effect.”
“Okay, sir. I will never watch such horror movies.”
“Horror movies are made not to scare you but to dare you. Such face covers, dummies of supernatural powers are made for children not to terrify you, but to edify you. Don’t fear, but face. Then you can protect yourselves from your psychological problems. Are you clear, students?
“Yes sir.” All the students made a synchronous agreement in my concept checking question. Till then my class time was over. On the very day, I taught my students; not a story ‘Wrong Turn in the Jungle’. Instead of having a lecture lesson, my students had taken an interactive play ‘Wrong Turn in the Class’.
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[Himal Limbu teaches English at SAM, Dharan. He writes short stories, poems and research articles in English and Nepali language.]