Have you ever met someone who is constantly misunderstood by those around them? Recently, I came across an anime on Instagram and I have added it to my to-watch list. The title of the anime is Angel Densetsu, it revolves around Seiichiro Kitano, a kindhearted, simple, and easygoing student with mean and intimidating looks. He’s like a cute cat wearing a wolf’s mask. Despite being kind and good on the inside, his physical looks led to him being misunderstood by his classmates. Seiichiro didn’t ask to look intimidating, but those around him didn’t see that. They misunderstood him before they even got to him. Truthfully, if I were a character in that anime, I’d also find him intimidating. This is why it's important to not judge a book by its cover. As humans, we often judge people based on their appearance, behavior, or circumstances without getting to know them.
I’m not a saint when it comes to misjudging people. Many times, I have found myself judging people based on many reasons, particularly their appearance. This person is not a family member or a friend, but my lecturer. The first time she came to our class to teach was during my second year. The title of her course was European Literature (exploring Greek mythology). I had always been interested in Greek mythology and when I saw that it was part of my courses, I was enthusiastic to get started. I was super happy the first time we had the class. I was one of the first few people that got to class early. Unfortunately, my happiness was short-lived when my lecturer walked in. A light-skinned woman with a frown walked in. The moment she walked in, she sent a chill breeze through the environment. We had never encountered her before, but we knew she was there for business, and strictly business.
Her first words were not friendly. “I know you people are not serious. You came to school to have fun, avoid coming to my class,” She thundered. Throughout the class, I never caught her smile once. Once, a tiny smirk managed to creep into her face, but it was quickly chased by a fiery frown. Every time she came to our class, everyone felt uneasy. We asked about her from our seniors who took her classes and they told us that she is a feminist. It was obvious in her teachings because she put more effort into her advice to the ladies. She said things like, “These men do not like you, all they want to do is use and rubbish you. So, stay focused on your goals and achieve them.” She also made it a habit to ask questions and if you failed to answer, she either rained hot (literally hot) words on you, to the extent that the next time, you’ll pray she doesn’t come to you when asking questions.
So, we all concluded that our lecturer was the strictest lecturer we had ever come across. Students started avoiding her classes. For one, they were scared of answering questions. They were also scared of the things she would say. I also concluded that she was strict, but I still kept attending her classes because I enjoyed them. I mean, who wouldn't enjoy Greek mythology? It wasn't until after two semesters that we realized our lecturer wasn't all strict. She cares about her students and takes her job seriously. Of course, there were times when she was super strict with her words and actions, but deep down, you could tell that she cares about her students. Currently, she is my supervisor for my final year project. Although we sometimes have little disagreements, it is nice being her supervisee.
Images in this post are mine.
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