The story of my Grammar and Handwriting

I was in my second standard when a teacher looking grim-faced walked into our classroom and started teaching us. She was called 'Madam' or just M'am and looked terrifying with chicken pox scars all over her face. She was very strict and disciplined and when she shouted on top of her voice, there used to be pin-drop silence in the class. Didn't bring the book - Kneel down, Didn't answer a question- Kneel down - kneel down, kneel down, kneel down those were the words that rang in the first few English classes.

I will recollect two incidents which were incidental in learning Grammar and improving my handwriting skills. Thanks to you M'am for without you I would never have learnt those.

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Mam: Why did you not do the homework?

Student: Yesterday, we went to temple means I didnt do my homework

Mam: What - You going to temple means you didn't do the homework??

This was the way we students who translated from our native tongue, Telugu, to English talked. All our conjunctions were 'means'. I just don't understand how we talked like that but that was how we talked until our Mam made us learn that a sentence consisted of a subject, and a predicate part. Next few classes were spent teaching nouns, verbs, prepositions and conjunctions but those classes were some of the most productive classes I ever attended.

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It was fourth standard and we were huddled outside the staff room of our school where our teacher was returning our copyrighting books where we had to write something in the whole page, which were said to improve our handwriting skills.

Before I got my book, lot of my friends got their books and had a 'Rewrite' written on the page. After each person who saw it started getting it, it looked like everyone got 'Rewrite' but luckily few people didn't get it and I was one among them.

The happiness that my handwriting was passable didn't stay long. She complete one lesson and gave question and answers for that lesson. I wrote them and gave them for correction. Though my writing was bad, I expected to be passed on as usual. When she came the next day to give the books, everybody got books except me. I was worried. Finally my chance came, she called me and told me that mine was the worst book she has seen. I got a big 'Rewrite' in my notebook when others got it in their copywriting books :( So I learnt the lesson to write neatly the hard way. So many rewrites followed before we were consistently given books without any remarks. And by that time, all students in our class could write reasonably well.

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Thank you Maureen ma'm, if I got selected in campus interview, if I am able to take onsite calls without any fear, give presentations without stuttering, and if I am able to write this blog without mistakes it is because of you. I'm eternally grateful to you mam.