by Athanasia Diamantopoulou

First day of school. Lots of happy, chatty little children sitting at their desks, waiting anxiously for the new teacher to enter through the door. Then Ms. Miles walks into the classroom. She is wearing a smile, a very special smile. It is… smiley but serious, too. As a matter of fact, it is more serious than smiley. It is like saying:  “I am your new teacher, I love you but I create the rules here. And you have to follow them.” There was a piece of advice Ms. Miles had heard at the beginning of her teaching career and that was “Never smile until Christmas.” Never smile! How is that possible? Teachers always smile.

As the years passed by, she was able to acquire a smile that was more serious than smiley and she wore that on the first days of school. But that wasn’ t her only smile. She had a whole bunch of them and they were all hidden in her red folder, which she always carried with her. She had a smile for when a pupil came to her with a question. That smile said: “I understand what you are saying and I want to help you understand, too.” She had another one for when a pupil came to her with a problem. That smile said: “I empathize with you and want to help you solve your problem and make you feel happy again”. There was another smile that she wore when a pupil came to her with an injury. That smile said: “I am concerned. Don’ t worry, I can feel your pain. We will fix that”. Every time she opened her folder the pupils thought she was looking at her notes but no! It was the suitable smile she was looking for. Always available, always at hand.

Not only did Ms. Miles have a smile for every occasion but every occasion was a chance for Ms. Miles to wear a smile that suited it: she had a victory smile when she watched her pupils progressing and doing well at exams. A huge smile when she observed them work together nicely and carry out their tasks. A smile of satisfaction when she watched them help each other or play with each other at break time. A reminiscent smile when she smelt teenage love in the air of her classroom. She had big smiles and little smiles, happy ones and sad ones, she even had a lonely smile and, last of all, a fake one for the times she knew she should smile but didn’ t quite feel like it. The list of smiles was actually endless.

Then it was time she got paid. Like all teachers she was paid daily with extra money which came from - guess what! - smiles. A smile from a pupil whose question had just been answered; a smile from a pupil whose problem had just been solved; another one from a pupil whose injury had been taken care of; a smile from a child who had finished her task and got an A; a smile from a child who had argued with her best friend but the teacher reconciled them.

You see, teachers always smile! And they are paid in smiles!