Taking Too Long

When I was in 8th standard, my Math teacher (Joan Miss, pictured above) was starting us off on some Geometry. I clearly remember her drawing a triangle, properly, by taking sufficient time (could've been ten minutes?) but it seemed like an eternity for me. I just felt that even though she was trying to achieve perfection (ninety degree right angle, etc), she was probably taking way too long.

I was reminded of this incident when our correspondent was addressing us today. That Math teacher is now my boss, in my job as Digital Coordinator for the school. When I joined work here, I had some experience in the corporate world - both in a modern, outsourced ITES joint, and in an old "sign-in in the register at the lobby everyday morning" staunchly Indian joint.

Yet, I felt like a fish out of water.

A world without written processes, without written procedures - was something my innate work experience of the previous decade just fought with. I still remember a staff meeting a month or so after I had joined - I was asking why an email wasn't sent out informing us about the meeting, and they were like, "We all knew. We all came. No need for emails" and I was just completely flummoxed (I also missed that meeting).

Marry that attitude of mine with the nature for no-nonsense working at the workplace, and I soon became a force that many were not comfortable to approach.

Yet, this teacher of mine from the nineties, who "took too long" to draw a simple-ish triangle on the blackboard back then, patiently allowed me to grow while gently grooming me for more.

Looking back today, it's been an interesting journey of exactly 28 months. The teachers around me have grown with me, they have worked with me, and they have invested in me. Most importantly, we have a thriving Digital push that supports the teachers and administration in almost every aspect of running the school.

I would have preferred to start my job in the school 2+ years ago, with the maturity, knowledge and patience that I have now. But I'm so grateful that Joan Miss has not felt that I was "taking too long" to come around.

This teachers day, praying that we always find the grace and patience to accept the people around us who need that extra time... To shine, to fit in, to co-exist. May we always take longer to do the things that matter most.