Dumping one of my prompts for a past job here (no I did not get selected)
As I walk into classroom eager to start the day off with science as the very first subject for 8th standard, I feel the presence of a heavy aura surrounding one of my students in a corner of the class. It was her again, Carla, who had recently been having trouble at home with her parents. Although she had never uttered a word to another soul, I was able to read her mind the other day as much as I could read anyone else’s at command.
All it usually took was to first read the energy in the room I was in. The heavier the energy surrounding a person, the tougher circumstance they were usually in. Whereas for lighter energy, that meant they were either content or happy, they even had pleasant thoughts that I had stopped intruding once I understood the meaning behind that aura.
Ofcourse in a room full of moody pre-teens and teens, it was never easy to properly read the ever fluctuating frequency of the adolescent energy, however, it was easy to pick them out through their facial expression, or even the bags under their eyes that told half the story they never would tell.
The tougher part for me as a teacher was that I could not reach out to them up front and ask if they needed any help, or even needed an adult who would genuinely listen to them, however, it could do more harm than the intention simply because they could feel vulnerable with a teacher lending out a hand without “knowing” what was really going on, raising more questions or hostility instead.
Avoiding any eye contact with the students to have them settle right after the bell rang to commence the start of class, and to have the “teacher is here” effect, I moved towards my desk in front of the whiteboard. I feel a lighter aura approach me. Without looking up, shuffling the contents of my bag, I quickly scan the surface of the student’s mind to realize it was Tom, the ever cheerful student of mine who was always the first to submit his assignment before class even started. What made him so glee at least at this hour was the praise he would receive from me for handing over his assignment, which unfortunately mistranslated into “Good job on submitting your assignment before your other classmates.” How would I know that? By accidentally reading his mind right after he submitted his assignment for the first time. And it has continued ever since.
Overtime, I had come to realize it was not such a grand idea to read other peoples mind — ethically, because I was invading their privacy. But at times, I could not help it when I noticed that heavy presence, to recognize something that’s bothering the person so immensely that they would be emitting negative energy — yet, display a neutral or opposite expression to show that their life was as perfect as the next person.
I do remember having this extraordinary ability ever since I could remember. I have scared adults, traumatized other kids and a whole lot more by reading their minds. I don’t remember my first interaction as it must have been such a normal and smooth conversation for me, however, I started taking notice of it when my best friend Armin questioned me while we were swinging at the playground. It was when I abruptly told him Nintendo was better than any other console that existed. That’s when he stared at me horrifically, and asked how on Earth I knew exactly what he was thinking. I could clearly remember his aura back then, which was as light as a feather when we started swinging, but suddenly went heavy in that moment.
Apparently, he had been meaning to ask his parents for a Sony gaming console, and I couldn’t let him make the mistake of his life, especially since I would also be playing whenever I visited him. So I casually gave my suggestion while swinging higher and higher next to him while his swinging speed reduced post my advice. We had had no conversation on the consoles prior to that moment. So I can assume he must have freaked out on the fact that the only way I could have known this was when I read his mind. I denied it as best I could as even I did not realize back then I had some sort of a superpower. Little did I know that was the last conversation I would ever have with my best friend.
I’m brought back to the present as the bell rang announcing the commencement of the first period. I finally look at the students, each one of them miraculously at their desks waiting for me to start the day. There was not much of a sound in the room except for that ominous buzzing of their minds that I avoided giving my full attention to. “Good Morning Class!” I say cheerfully with a big smile on my face, while getting a monotonous echo in return.
Kids.
As a mind reader, life hasn’t been so easy, but it definitely has been interesting so far. I decided to become a teacher so I could do my best to rightfully guide students and understand their problems that they themselves could not translate into words and support them grow into strong adults who would help others as well. Every interaction I’ve had itself has been an adventure with this ability that has interchangeably been a gift and curse to me. Ofcourse, there’s more to come.
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Note: I know Medium is rather a causual newspaper for some of us, a writtten tiktok for others. I don’t have a niche — perhaps being nicheless is mine.
