My ReVENGE Story : When I was humiliated by my Teacher

An experience that’s been etched in my mind for the longest

She was the only one in charge of fostering a passion for art and craft in our school from fifth to tenth grade. In terms of personality, she was tall and broad-built, and rather than exuding charm, she made students like me scared. I’ve always wanted her to miss class or send a substitute in her place.

It wasn’t like I wasn’t artistic or crafty. Rather, the problem was that she made me feel uncomfortable in her lessons and stifled all of my creativity. Even though I liked painting, it started to become a nightmare for me.

The cherry on top was that my sitting partner used to be her favorite student. She used to stand by my side every time to check on how well I was following her instructions, which included coloring in the borders, selecting the right colors, perfectly copying the pattern from the board she had drawn, using perfect hand movements, and much more. I felt even more pitiful every time she showed her appreciation towards my seat partner, which is why I consistently received a “C” from her.

“How can you not draw and paint even this?” she questioned after totally reddening my drawing book with her pen.

God knows how many times I felt humiliated by her in my brain, and I thought, What a loser am I? Her language got harsher and uglier each time. I had made a monster out of her in my mind, one that wanted me to fail constantly. Yes, she never humiliated me in front of my classmates or in class. It happened in my thoughts time and again, and I was the director and scriptwriter. That image of her even told me that my parents were lying when they said they liked some of my sporadic artwork at home, saying they didn’t want me to feel horrible because my painting wasn’t even mediocre and that a third-grader could draw better than this. I ought to give up painting; it’s not my cup of tea.

I believed this story for the longest time and refrained from painting and other activities. Finally, in 2021, I made the decision to exact revenge, and this is what I did.

I painted, and it was genuinely a liberating experience for me. I embarked on a journey to paint various folk arts of my nation for my own satisfaction, without expecting anyone’s approval. I simply did what I felt like doing, not aiming for perfection but for satisfaction.

And these are some of my works from last year.

I came to the realization that, although my teacher may have played the role of an instrument, I am the one who has constantly made fun of myself over one small comment she made about my work in sixth grade. We have all had instructors, supervisors, family members, and friends whom we have labeled as embarrassments in our minds, but trust me when I say that you have the power to exact your own retribution, if not a tale of redemption.