First Impression Dies

Wearing your elegant clothes along with your fancy necktie and the shiniest pair of shoes ever made – all this but to impress or get dressed for success – to make an impression to someone that would change your life forever.

For years and years we have tried to go with the flow and have conformed to this childish influence at our impressionable age because first impression lasts. 

One can actually wipe the floor to swim against that current, but it isn’t always a happy ending to run the risk of doing something – whether or not you’ll get the opportunity – it all depends on you.

I’m no exception to this bondage allowing my self entangled in many chances, but I have proven my impressionistic subjugators wrong in many chances as well – that’s when first impression dies.

Because I prefer casual wear over a popular style, a lot of times they’ve got me feeling as simple as a person who does not have a normal level of intelligence or got no special talent at all. And when I said or did something extraordinary, it was a bolt from the blue. That’s so human tendency becoming subjective or conclusive unreasonably.

Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m a different person at school – this is where I wear various and sundry clothes everyday – to surprise people; to win the hearts of my critics; to give them idea or a complete picture of a jigsaw puzzle out of me.

First day at school is for all time having a feeling of cognizance or paranoia to the extreme. So I’m always careful selling the products – my self, my experience, my accomplishment, and my skills – for one intention – to disprove each first-impressionist-creature alive.

“What if my students won’t like me?” my anxious thought in endless query. Before I realize, I still have more of these “what ifs…?” to resolve. It’s so annoying, but then it’s always my call to face the situation for man is born to trust first impressions.

There is no place like my TESOL environment – where racists live and where individuals endowed with prejudices against Asian teachers reign. That’s why I had to stand up for myself, for others, and what I believe in – a big NO to first impression. For each person deserves grace or more including me to be honest.

I am truly aware that there is no such thing as “first impression dies” unless someone has learned to defy the gravity or judge the book by its content – then you will find it hard to believe. Let this phrase remains uncanny or only exists in my own dictionary. But it doesn’t stop me from sharing one of the most unexpected stories of my teaching life, lately.

“Here we go again!” I said quietly; a self-talk as I call it.

One student was already in the classroom few minutes before me. He was the earliest bird to meet his teacher who has brown skin and not a native speaker of English. He seemed unhappy by the look of his eyes. He didn’t smile at all. Let me call him Dara (not his real name).

“So you’re not white?” my worried mind could hear him freak out, but thank God he didn’t.

So used to this scenario, but like I said, got my own way – for this reason I’ve survived and was loved by my students. And no need to mention those awful moments because they were uninspiring.

Few days after, Dara brought me some muffins for snack and then some Chinese kikyams the following day. The next time around, his generosity was beyond expectation – he bought me sunglasses. Wow!

It such a delight to know that he’s very happy in my class every single day. Above all this, it’s a joy to know that he’s no typical impressionable at all. I think it’s time for me to remove this lasting negative impression in my mind towards students or anyone else, too. This is how first impression dies works in some ways.

Now it’s all up to you to break this bad habit – trusting on first impressions or to give others more consideration that first impression may die.