Two sisters Vijaya and Jaya were students of the same class in the school. Jaya was only one year older than Vijaya. Their parents loved both of them very much and treated them equally. They never quarrelled or complained about each other to their parents. However, whereas the younger sister Vijaya had many friends in the school, Jaya found it difficult to create friendships even with her classmates. The teachers too showered praise on Vijaya and hardly ever paid attention to the elder sister Jaya. On the annual day of the school, Vijaya was declared as the best and most popular student. It made Jaya unhappy. She could not understand in what way she was inferior to Vijaya. She also wondered why her younger sister was more popular than her. One day she asked this to their mother.
She said, “Mom! I try to be as friendly to everyone as Vijaya but the teachers and students of the school have chosen her as the most popular girl. Why do people like Vijaya more than me? Is it because she is more attractive than me?” Her mother replied, “No dear, you are as beautiful as Vijaya. However Vijaya has learnt certain ways of doing things, which has made her more liked than you. She has adopted the qualities of good manners, obedience and duty consciousness. Have you ever found Vijaya speaking loudly or rudely to anyone? She is very respectful and polite in her behaviour with other people. She always speaks with a smile on her face. She never quarrels with any fellow student. Nor does she ever complain about anyone. Because of these good habits, everyone considers her as a friend.
Mother asked Jaya, “ Do you know why she is also so popular with the teachers? There are so many children in the school, that teachers cannot remember everyone. The teachers are attracted towards only those students who are different from others because of some special quality in them. Students having good qualities become teacher’s pets. Jaya asked, “What are the qualities which teachers like in a student? Mother replied, “ You have to form a habit of doing things in a proper way to come to the notice of others. I shall tell you some important things which each student should remember.”
1. Cleanliness:
You have to always be neat and tidy. You should be clean and your face should look fresh (alert). Your hands and feet should be properly washed. You should have clean teeth. Your smile is attractive only when your teeth are clean. You should also have neatly groomed hair, properly cut nails. Your school uniform should be spotless, clean and creaseless. Unless you are sick, taking a bath daily is absolutely necessary. Nobody likes to stay near a dirty person. People avoid dirty people. If you associate with dirty people, you fall sick frequently. Would you like to sit in the class besides the student, who is dirty and smelling foul? For keeping good health, it is also necessary to keep one’s personal articles, clothes and place of living clean. The things you eat should also be clean and fresh. Items of food prepared and kept uncovered become dirty. Dust and flies pollute such foodstuff with germs of disease; Children, who eat such food, frequently become sick.
2. Punctuality and regularity of daily routine:
Teachers like those children who are never late in coming to school. The children, who watch television shows till late hours in the night, cannot get up early in the morning. As a result, they often have difficulty in leaving the bed early in the morning. To reach the school in time they take their breakfast and pack their school bag hurriedly. Because of hurry they often forget to take books and exercise- books according to their timetable and face punishment in the school. Going to bed late at night and getting up early for school also does not give them enough time for homework and sufficient sleep for rest. In the classroom, they feel drowsy and can’t concentrate on the subject being taught. Teachers do not like students who are sleepy in the classroom. Hence for being alert and attentive in the classroom, it is necessary to have a proper timetable for studying, playing, entertainment and going to bed. For obtaining good marks in the examinations it is also necessary to have a routine of regular study. Only those students can maintain the schedule of good studies who go to bed early in the night and get up early in the morning. Students, who top in their class, have a habit of studying regularly at home. They prepare their lessons in advance. It gives them an opportunity to revise the lesson, when it is being taught in the school. It keeps them ahead of other students.
3. Discipline:
Teachers love students who maintain discipline in the school and classroom. Teachers do not like noisy and quarrelsome students or those who always keep on complaining about something or the other. A good student should always avoid the company of such persons who have the habit of criticising others. It is not good to have the company of children who have a habit of telling bad things about others. Remember! Those who have the habit of criticising others will also talk bad about you to others behind your back. It is a bad habit to talk during class. Jaya asked, “Why is it necessary to keep quiet in the classroom? Mother replied, “ While talking during the class, you learn nothing. You can do one thing at a time. You can either talk or listen. When the teacher is speaking, you cannot talk and simultaneously listen to the teacher. Because of the noise made by you while talking, other students too cannot listen to the teacher properly. You might have noticed that talkative students are generally not good in their studies. Only by keeping quiet and being attentive in the classroom you can concentrate on the subject being taught. Unless you are attentive, how can you find out what you have not understood? How can you ask the teacher for clarifications?”
Jaya said, “Mom! Now I have understood the secret of Vijaya`s success. I shall also practise these good habits”.
Moral
Cleanliness, punctuality, regularity in routine, discipline and modesty are necessary for winning friends and influencing people.
Source: Pragya Tales Part 2
