Teacher Tropes
Over the years, we've all encountered teachers whose eccentric antics have stayed with us since. Be it snarky comments which broke the whole class into laughter or ridiculous ultimatums which froze us in our seats, these teachers have done it all. Let's dissect some of the most iconic things we've heard teachers say growing up.
"I want pin-drop silence!" Ah…the sweet old pin-drop silence truce. Be silent or get out of the classroom. When the whole class would get lost in the clamour of the vigorous chatter, this simple sentence was enough to snap us back to our senses.
We're surely no stranger to the age old adage"Machhe bhaate Bangali", which loosely translates to fish and rice is what makes a Bengali. Oddly enough, our teachers also showed their love for fish in class. No wonder they'd ask "Is this a class or a fish market?"
"I have two eyes at the back of my head" No, this isn't a saying of a mutant from a Marvel comic, yet you certainly have heard this from one of your teachers. Teachers turn into superhumans when they memorise the names of all their students, see through their nonsense, persevere and support them with insurmountable gallantry when they fall.
We all had that one teacher who never let us leave the classroom even after the bell rang. "Don't leave your seats. Give me five more minutes!" Those five minutes turned into 10, took half of our recess or made the next teacher wait forever.
"Tell us what you are laughing about, we want to laugh too." Do you remember ever getting caught gossiping during lectures and hearing these exact words? Or maybe you're more familiar with, "Why don't you come to the front and share what you were telling your friend?". Those were good times, weren't they?
"This is the worst batch I have ever seen." Worst or not, our teachers always told us we're an uncontrollable bunch. No matter how much they expressed their hardships in teaching us, deep down we all know they loved the unmanageable section more. Not every class can be the worst, can they?
Here are some honorable mentions.
"Keep quiet! The principal is on a round." when we were creating a ruckus while the principal was coming to visit.
"Sit properly. This is not your living room." when we were showing bad posture.
"Give me your parent's number." when a grave mistake was made.
"Is this a beauty parlour?" when people tried to be fashionable at school.
"I'll take you to the Vice Principal." when the dagger of detention was inching towards our throats.
"Did you forget to eat yesterday? Did you forget to sleep yesterday? Then why did you forget your homework?" when we said we forgot our work at home.
Farnaz Fawad Hasan thanks all the teachers who helped her come all this way. Reach her at farnazfawadhasan@gmail.com