Lighting Another Lamp"

a quiet, dusty village nestled far from the city, stood a small school with fading walls and squeaky wooden benches. The roof leaked during monsoons, and the chalkboards were cracked, but within those worn-out walls was a man whose passion lit the room—Mr. Rashid, the village teacher.

Mr. Rashid wasn’t an ordinary teacher. He didn’t just teach subjects; he taught life. Where others saw disobedient children, he saw curiosity. Where others saw hopelessness, he saw possibility.

Among the many children who came and went, there was one boy who caught Mr. Rashid’s attention—Sajid. A stubborn, often absent student who showed little interest in books. Sajid spent most of his time working in the fields with his widowed mother. With his father gone and no steady income, education wasn’t a priority for his family.

One day, Mr. Rashid noticed Sajid hadn’t attended school for weeks. Concerned, he visited Sajid's home. The small mud house had barely enough space for two people. His mother greeted the teacher with tired eyes and a soft voice.

“Sajid helps me in the fields,” she explained. “We can’t survive otherwise.”

Mr. Rashid nodded with understanding but gently replied,

“If Sajid gets an education, one day he’ll lift you out of this life. Let him come to school in the morning. He can still help in the fields in the afternoon.”

After some hesitation, his mother agreed.

And so began a new chapter in Sajid’s life.

At first, Sajid resisted. He didn’t understand most of what was being taught. His clothes were worn, his hands calloused from fieldwork, and he often felt out of place among other students. But Mr. Rashid never gave up on him.

He spent extra time after class helping Sajid with reading, math, and writing. When Sajid struggled, he didn’t scold him. Instead, he told him stories—of great people who rose from nothing, of leaders who once sat in dusty classrooms just like his.

Slowly, Sajid began to change.

He started raising his hand in class. He began asking questions. One day, he even helped another student solve a math problem. Mr. Rashid smiled quietly. The spark had been lit.

Years passed. Sajid completed primary school, then middle school. When he passed his high school exams with distinction, the village celebrated. But now came a bigger challenge—college in the city.

Sajid’s family couldn’t afford it. Once again, Mr. Rashid stepped in. He helped Sajid apply for a scholarship. He taught him how to write an application, how to speak in interviews, how to walk into a room with confidence.

“You may be from a small village,” he told him, “but your dreams can be as big as you want them to be.”

Sajid got the scholarship.

The city was a new world—tall buildings, fast roads, and people who barely looked at each other. But every night, Sajid remembered the small classroom, his teacher’s warm smile, and the lessons that went beyond textbooks.

He worked hard—sometimes studying under streetlights when the hostel electricity failed. Whenever he doubted himself, he remembered Mr. Rashid’s words:

“You can. And you will.”

Back in the village, Mr. Rashid grew older. He still taught at the same school, though now with a walking stick in one hand and chalk in the other. He never asked for recognition, but the impact he had was undeniable.

Years later, on a rainy morning, a sleek black car stopped outside the village school. Out stepped a young man in a neat suit, carrying a folder and a purpose.

It was Sajid.

He had become an education officer. His mission: to bring better schools, better teachers, and better opportunities to villages like his own.

He walked into the classroom where Mr. Rashid was teaching a new group of children. The old teacher looked up, his eyes gleaming with pride.

Sajid knelt before him and whispered,

“Sir, everything I am… is because of you.”

Mr. Rashid patted his shoulder, voice trembling,

“And everything you’ll give to others… will keep my light burning.”

That day, the student became the mentor. But the teacher, forever, remained the guiding light.

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Moral of the story:

A great teacher doesn’t just teach from books—they shape lives, ignite dreams, and believe in students before they believe in themselves. And sometimes, one act of belief can change not just one life—but many more to come.