When Grammar Became a Memory
For Judy Jones Ma’am, with love, gratitude, and fifteen years of memories ❤️
NOUN
Noun is a word that gives a name to a person, place, or thing.
And in the world of my memories,
there is one name that holds
a very special place—
Judy Jones Ma’am.
The first lesson you taught me was
The Boat Man.
I still remember its beginning:
“The boat man’s name was Adhithyan.”
You even drew a boat on the board
while explaining the lesson.
It may have been just a drawing on a blackboard to you,
but to me,
it became a picture
that stayed in my mind for fifteen years.
VERB
Verb shows an action.
You taught.
You explained.
You drew.
You told stories.
You made us listen.
And without even knowing it,
one of your actions changed my life—
you made me fall in love with English.
ADVERB
Adverb tells us how an action happens.
And I still remember how you taught.
You never simply explained a lesson;
you brought it to life.
In The Night, the poem by William Shakespeare,
you made us remember every part so carefully.
I can still remember saying it correctly
and seeing you clap.
That little clap may have lasted
only for a moment,
but the happiness it gave me
has lasted much longer.
ADJECTIVE
Adjective describes a person or a thing.
If I had to describe you,
I could use words like
beautiful, kind, patient, inspiring…
But somehow,
none of them feels enough.
I even used to carefully observe your body language—
the way you stood,
the way you moved,
the way you spoke.
And your voice…
There could be a thousand voices in school,
but I could identify yours
without even seeing you.
Your voice was like a familiar song
that my heart somehow already knew.
PREPOSITION
Preposition shows a relationship between words.
And you are still
in my memories,
between my childhood and my dreams,
and always close to my heart.
I remember The Sweet
from the supplementary reader.
You asked us to prepare five lines
and invited everyone to take the class.
That was the first time
I stood before you
and taught a class.
I still remember you appreciating me
and telling me that I had taught the class well.
You even made me feel
that I had done better than the others.
That moment felt different.
Maybe, Ma’am,
somewhere in that moment,
without even realizing it,
I wanted to become like you.
CONJUNCTION
Conjunction connects words and ideas.
And, but, because…
You became the “and” in my journey—
between the student I was
and the person I am becoming.
You once told us
that if we wanted to love a subject,
we should first love the teacher who teaches it.
I never imagined that the girl
who once did not even like English
would one day choose M.A. English.
Maybe English became my subject
because you became my reason.
INTERJECTION
Interjection expresses a sudden feeling.
And whenever I remember all these moments,
one word comes naturally—
“Wow!”
The drawings you made
while explaining The Swamy and the Sum,
the way you explained Tunamica,
the stories you told before lessons…
There are so many memories
that I could keep writing your name forever.
And then comes—
TENSE
PAST TENSE
Past Tense tells us about something
that happened before.
Fifteen years have passed.
But how can something be completely past
when I can still remember it so clearly?
I remember your classes.
Your stories.
Your voice.
Your drawings.
Your little conversations with me.
I even remember the secret conversations
we sometimes had.
Those moments may have seemed small to you,
but to me,
they became precious memories.
PRESENT TENSE
Present Tense tells us what exists now.
Today, I sometimes forget
what I did just five minutes ago.
But strangely…
I still haven’t forgotten you.
My memory may forget little things every day,
but somehow,
it refuses to forget Judy Ma’am.
FUTURE TENSE
Future Tense tells us about
what is yet to come.
I do not know where my future will take me.
But if I become a teacher one day,
I know whose teaching style
will quietly follow me.
ACTIVE VOICE
Active Voice tells us who performs the action.
You taught me.
You inspired me.
You encouraged me.
You made me love English.
PASSIVE VOICE
And in Passive Voice—
I was inspired by you.
I was encouraged by you.
And English was made beautiful for me
because of you.
HOMOPHONES
Finally, Homophones—
words that sound alike
but have different meanings.
There may be many teachers in this world
and many voices I may hear,
but there is only one Judy
in my memories.
And perhaps, if I had to describe you
using only your name—
J.U.D.Y.
J — Just
U — Unforgettable
D — Devoted
Y — You.
Four letters.
Four words.
Yet somehow,
even they are not enough
to describe what you mean to me.
And Ma’am…
If life gives me one more chance,
I do not want to become a different student.
I want to go back fifteen years.
I want to sit on that last bench again.
I want to listen to your stories,
watch your body language,
hear your voice,
and quietly admire you
without you even knowing.
I want to see you dance again
on Children’s Day,
hear you speak through the microphone
during school programmes,
and collect all those little moments
that I never knew
were becoming memories.
Because today,
I understand something:
Some teachers teach us Grammar.
Some teachers teach us lessons.
But a very few teachers
become the reason
those lessons remain in our hearts forever.
And if PRONOUN means replacement,
then I have only one thing to say—
I may find another teacher,
another classroom,
another lesson…
but for you, Ma’am,
I have no replacement.
You are not simply
a part of my past.
You are the beautiful memory
that continues in my present
and quietly walks beside me
into my future.
Judy Ma°(O)M ❤️
Once your last-bench student,
always your student. 🌷
I love you Ma'am ... 😍
To dedicate my lovely Angel Judy Ma'am
Happy Teacher's day 💖 2026
With love & Respect
Shilpavaratharajulu
