The Evil Piano Teacher

I could still recall vividly the memories I had of this particular piano teacher of mine.. I was just 7 years old then. How I used to hate Mondays and Thursdays when I have my piano lessons. My stomach practically churns and I feel nauseous each and every time Mondays and Thursdays approaches.

A pathetic bully she is indeed, and a coward too, for not daring to pick someone her own size to push around, but picked on a fragile child instead! And when I said bully, I don’t mean the pushing around physical bullying..but rather, the crushing your self-esteem kind of mental bullying, which etched forever in your mind and leaves a deep psychological impact on one (much worse still, on the mind of a still growing, shy, meek, introverted child). It is so traumatizing indeed. I recalled having frequent nightmares thinking of her constant tauntings.

Here’s the story.. At the beginning, when my mom just started sending me to her, she is very kind and loving, especially whenever my mom is there. But once my mom is out of sight, she transformed into this evil witch. It is really a provoking recollections. She has a terrible temper and tantrums, and would call me, ‘dumb, stupid, idiot, etc..!’ and pulls her own hair and stomps around when I played the wrong key,…and at other times, she would in a calm, controlled manner snickered and smirked at me and says, ‘do you know that you are an extremely stupid girl? The dumbest I have ever come across in my whole entire life. I bet you flunk all your school subjects too, being such a dumb idiot you are, and what’s more, you are such a plain looking, unattractive girl’, look at you, no reactions at all, you dumb fool. ‘if I had a child like you, I would rather kill her or kill myself.’ These are just some of the many, many cruel taunts I endured from her over the years. It was my first encounter with an adult which is capable of such verbal cruelty. Seriously, as if making hurting comments about my piano skills ain’t enough, she needs to plunge the knife deeper into my soul, passing comments about my school work and my looks as well.

Now that I am in my mid thirties and thinking back, I seriously don’t know why I never voiced out this matter to my mom or told the teacher how I felt. But then again, I was a child whom pretty much likes to keep to myself, very obedient and after all the teacher is an adult. Adults are always right. There must be some truth in the things she said.
I have seen her with other students in the same class as me as well, and never did she treated them with such wickedness as she did me. Anyway, because of that teacher I completely lost all interest in music. My mom sensed that, though she doesn’t know the real reason behind it. And thankfully, she changed me to another teacher when she saw how I would always put up a struggle whenever its time to go for piano classes.

As I grew older, here’s some conclusions I have made. I guess its because I was from a poor family (my parents struggles hard to earn money to put me through these expensive piano classes) This piano teacher being affiliated with a well-known music academy was used to only teaching students from private schools, expatriates’ children, etc.. That’s why she doesn’t think twice snubbing at me, venting out her frustrations and take out her anger at an ‘under-privileged’ child like myself as and when she likes.

Eventhough I am now in my mid thirties, and as I am typing this article, thoughts about her sends my blood rushing and anger raising. I remembered when I was in my early twenties, my friend and I bumped into her at a shopping mall once. And both of us said ‘hi’ to her, and never once did she acknowledged my presence, but kept on chatting and praising away my friend whom is the daughter of a prominent man. And as the conversation ended and we parted, she turned and sneered at me. So you see, it wasn’t me that couldn’t forgive and forget. Yea, maybe I did forgive her (thought never will I forget); but it was her whom still hold that strong hatred for me for whatever reasons I don’t know why and how a child like me could to such an extent, evoke such a negative, hostility on an adult.

Being an educator as she is, one should have plenty of empathy, sincerity, loving kindness and understanding towards children. Otherwise, do yourself (and the children and all parents) a favor, find other professions to be in.
I am now a part-time drama teacher, teaching young kids. Whenever I see timid children, who is delicate and shy and is being picked on by other kids, I instantly feel a strong need to do all I can to protect them. I would give them undivided attention and give it my all to get them to open up to me, to trust me and to see me as a friend and not someone to be feared of. Once a bond is developed, you will be most amazed to see how these initially shy, introverted children blossoms and you will then usually discover that they do have many hidden talents.