Someone told me an interesting story the other day of an imaginary conversation between a pencil and an eraser.

“I am sorry,” said the pencil to the eraser.

“Whatever for?” asked the eraser.

“I am sorry because you get hurt because of me,” continued the pencil. “Every time I make a mistake, you are there to erase it. And every time you make ache one of my mistakes vanish, you lose a bit of yourself. You become smaller and smaller. And a bit dirty too.”

“You shouldn’t really worry,” responded the eraser. “I was meant to help you whenever you made a mistake, and I am happy doing my job. And I know one day I’ll be gone and you will find someone else to do my job – but while I am around, I take pride in knowing I did my bit to help erase your mistakes. Keep writing. And remember, never be scared to make a mistake. There will always be an eraser around to set it right!”

If you think about it, you’ll probably recognize that our teachers were the erasers in our lives. We were the pencils, sharp, pointed and colourful. And every time we made a mistake, the teachers were there to correct us. They gave a bit of themselves – so that we could emerge looking just a bit better. And then as we moved from school to college and then to work, we found new teachers. But there is no mistaking the fact that we are what we are today, because of those teachers, those wonderful, magical erasers. And so in this month when the world celebrates.

Let’s thank those men and women – all those teachers – who happily got a little dirtier to keep us clean, who didn’t mind losing a bit of themselves to make our work error-free. And who were happy to fade away and watch our work with pride as we moved on to newer worlds, and newer teachers. The pencils might get all the glory and acclaim, but it’s good to remember that it’s the erasers who made it all possible.

And there’s something else about teachers that makes them truly special. Their ability to look at every student, every child, and see the genius inside. They know that each child is different – and that there is a unique skill or strength inside each and every one. I recall a friend telling me about an interaction she had with her children’s school teacher several years ago. The teacher’s words remain etched in her mind even to this day.

My friend was worried about her second son – who didn’t seem to be getting the kind of grades that his elder brother had been getting in school. He didn’t seem to be studying too much, his grades were poor, his math skills were weak and like any parent, she was worried for her son’s future. When she raised the issue of the son’s performance, here’s what the teacher told her: Don’t worry about his grades. He’s an extremely popular, well-adjusted kid. You can’t expect mangoes to grow on a guava tree. Different trees bear different fruits. Enjoy each fruit. Parents and teachers – we are just the gardeners.

Our job is to water the plant, give it nourishment – and allow it to grow into a healthy tree.” And guess what? Both those boys have grown up into fine young men. Different folks, different fields, but good human beings, and successful in their own right.

We would all do well to remember those lessons. Never be afraid to make mistakes – there will always be an eraser at hand. And don’t worry if you couldn’t become an engineer or a doctor – just be the best you can be. Mangoes don’t grow on guava trees.

-Prakash Iyer