From student to teacher

A young man met an old teacher and asked if he remembers him. The old teacher was hesitant since he taught so many students over a long career. The teacher told the young man that he remembers him well, and asked him what he was doing now. ‘I’m a teacher like you, and you are the one who inspired me to follow in your footsteps.’ The teacher was impressed and asked him what exactly triggered the desire to be a teacher. And the boy told him his story. ‘One day, a classmate came in the class with a new watch. And I was determined that it was going to be mine. And I stole it from him. Of course he complained to you and you asked all of us who was the robber. No one answered. And I was afraid to tell him that I did it. Then you asked us to stand up and make a circle as you were going to search each one of us. But you blindfolded us and went around searching in our pockets and until you found it in mine. You continued searching even after you found it, and told us that the watch was found and given to the boy who owned it. You never scolded me and never even mentioned it again. That day you saved my dignity. In a way I wished you told them it was me to get my deserved punishment. But you respected me and believed in me. That experience convinced me that I could be a good teacher too. Do you remember that day?’ The old teacher said ‘Of course I remember. I remember the panic that overcame that class. But I didn’t know it was you who stole it, because I too had blindfolded my eyes and did not know from whose pocket  I retrieved the missing watch. I didn’t want to know who was the culprit, because otherwise I would have remembered him in a negative way.’ So remember from this story that to teach someone a good lesson, you don’t need to correct him and humiliate him, but just believe in him so that he can discover the inner goodness that is in his heart.