Acrylic on canvas – 8 x 8 inch – Unique work

Somewhere on earth, children study quietly in a classroom. The day is almost over. The teacher is tired. Yet he still has one topic he wanted to cover. Every day, he makes a list of important topics that aren’t necessarily on the syllabus but that he wants to cover.

He’s always wanted to teach; it’s his passion. Even if it’s become complicated over time. He’s no longer young; the students have changed over the generations. They’ve become more impetuous, shall we say. And yet, he’s absolutely determined to educate them and instill in them essential concepts. The management doesn’t always agree. He knows that. So, he doesn’t tell anyone and teaches freely. Too bad for those who are bothered by it!

Today was a particularly difficult day. In his class, he has a group of three devious students. Their modus operandi is provocation and verbal violence with him, and physical violence with some of their classmates. All it takes is one of them to say something they don’t like, and off they go! His colleagues have given up. Not him. He can’t bring himself to do it. It’s difficult, but what isn’t difficult these days? Life is a struggle, and sometimes life is a reward too. You have to know how to seize the moment.

And the moment is now. He whispers a few words to obtain silence. From experience, he knows perfectly well that shouting is useless. Quite the opposite. To obtain some sort of order, whispering is ideal. It doesn’t always work, but this time, he manages to capture everyone’s attention. He takes the opportunity to slip in two words: “freedom of speech.”

Faces freeze. He can feel everyone’s neurons firing wildly in their brains! He’s delighted. They probably weren’t expecting this. He waits for the reactions… They don’t take long to arrive. That’s it, tongues are loosening. Oddly enough, it’s not those who usually cause a stir who are the most talkative. Quite the opposite; it’s the good students in the front row who finally take advantage of this window of opportunity to free their words, their consciences, their souls. After fifteen minutes, everyone is expressing themselves with respect, honesty, and simplicity.

He’s happy; he’s succeeded in his gamble!