[Note: something seems to be happening to the line-endings, possibly owing to a compatibility issue between my geriatric computer and this site. I apologise for the peculiar line-endings in the previous “story”.]
If someone had ever asked students to summarise Sally’s teaching in one word, that word would have been “thorough”. Her students knew the syllabus inside out. Back in the days when students were told of their national rank in the A Level exams, the one thing almost all our English Literature and English Language students ranked number one in the country had in common was that they had been taught by Sally. I don’t think that was just a coincidence. She prepared students for the exams like a coach preparing athletes for a competition.
However, she was never particularly in awe of the exam board, preferring to call it the exam bawd. It was her interest in students’ welfare that drove her. She passionately believed in education being the gateway to further opportunities and was always determined to do her best for each student.
Once, when someone mentioned feeling a bit fed up of teaching a class of re-sit GCSE candidates, she described an incident from her own experience of teaching such a class. She had written the sentence, “I think, therefore I am” on the blackboard. She turned around and asked students what they made of this. A lad at the back of the class said, “Cogito ergo sum”, adding helpfully, “Rene Descartes”. Sally said this was a timely reminder that the re-sit candidates had tremendous potential.
During her retirement, Sally volunteered to conduct practice interviews for Oxbridge applicants. Her warm manner put them at ease before they were subjected to extremely challenging questions. Every one of her practice interview candidates felt very well-prepared for the actual selection process.
Whether a student had outstanding academic ability or was struggling at the bottom of the class, Sally had time for him or her. She certainly exemplified the unofficial college motto of “counting in ones.”
- Kalpana