Marwa was a ninth-grader. She excelled in her studies and helped her mum with everything, from household chores to babysitting her twin brothers. Her parents loved her dearly.

“Here, my dear, breakfast is ready,” her mum gently called out early one morning. “I have to leave for work early today. And you know, I cannot have breakfast without my best friend.”

Marwa blushed. “I know,” she said.

“I will prepare breakfast for the rest of the family before leaving. Baba will drop you off today.”

“I will make breakfast for them, Mama, you just focus on your work! I will take care of Baba and your monsters! Just leave everything to me.”

Mama smiled, her face radiant with happiness at receiving so much love and concern from her daughter. Marwa prepared breakfast, watered the plants, cleaned the kitchen and afterwards left for school with her father and little brothers.

At school, she was friends with everyone in the class. Her best friends were Dania, the prefect, and Rabia, a happy-go-lucky girl. It was the first lesson and they were waiting for their teacher when the campus in-charge, Miss Zoya, entered with an unfamiliar young lady.

“Assalamu Alaikum, dear girls!” Miss Zoya greeted the class. “Meet Miss Maryam, your new maths teacher.” Turning to the lady, she said, “The class is all yours,” and to the pupils, “Have a nice day, class!” Then Miss Zoya left.

Miss Maryam stepped closer to the desk and began, “Good morning, girls! I will give a little introduction before we start studying calculus. I have done my Master’s in mathematics. I am not a strict teacher unless you want me to be. I love maths. Now tell me about yourselves today. What is the one activity you are good at?”

“I ace at basketball,” Hamna whispered to Marwa, and she snickered. To her surprise, Miss Maryam noticed her.

“There, my child,” she said, pointing towards Marwa. “Tell us, what are you good at?”

Marwa stood up from the bench and fell silent. She began to panic. With trembling hands and feet, she tried to think of all the activities she did, but still failed to answer the question.

“No problem, seated,” said Miss Maryam.

“Okay, girls, tomorrow you will tell me the one thing you are best at. In one way or another, we are all good at something, and very often we do not realise it,” the maths teacher said, putting the class at ease.

The next day, after the lecture, Miss Maryam gave the class homework. After much murmuring, the girls finally gathered the courage to answer the question their maths teacher had asked the day before.

“Go ahead, girls!” Miss Maryam said.

One by one, the students started sharing what they were good at.

“I am very organised, ma’am! My mother loves this habit of mine.”

“Ma’am, I am very good at reading. I have got the skills.”

“I am very good at cooking. Everyone in my family and among my friends loves the meals I prepare.”

“I am good at maths too, ma’am!” uttered Rabia, standing beside Marwa, who was still seated at the back bench, trying to figure out what to say. “And I do not think it sounds arrogant.”

The class erupted in laughter. The bell rang, announcing that the period was over.

“Alright, girls. I am leaving. It was a wholesome conversation. Take care and see you all tomorrow,” said Miss Maryam, keeping in mind that Marwa had not participated, or perhaps had not wanted to. Marwa, on her part, was delighted that the class had finally ended.

The following week, on a fine Wednesday morning, Miss Zoya asked Marwa to meet her in the staff room. There, she informed Marwa that her friend Dania had food poisoning and would be on sick leave.

“Come forward, Marwa,” Miss Zoya said, holding up the prefect sash. “Now, if you please, will you take her place until she recovers?”

Without having a chance to think of an excuse, Marwa agreed.

During recess that same day, Rabia and Marwa were munching on their snacks when Marwa, now concerned about maintaining discipline in her prefect role, saw Bareea, her class fellow, bragging about her acrylic paints to a few girls. In a flash, Marwa rushed over.

“I hope everything is okay here?” Marwa asked concernedly.

“Nothing, Marwa! Please leave us alone,” Bareea said, sounding irritated. “Just tell them not to envy my painting skills and supplies.”

“And why would they?” Marwa asked.

“She says she has sold three paintings so far. We are amazed how someone can pay for abstract trash!” Minal said.

“Plus, she says that she buys acrylic paints every now and then and throws out the old ones quickly enough. Do you really think that asking about her passion should be considered envying her skills?” Aiman asked.

Marwa shook her head. “Why do you throw out the old ones? And where do you throw them?”

“In the dustbin, of course,” Bareea replied casually.

“Goodness me, you throw them away without emptying them!” Marwa said in shock. “Do you have any sense? Not disposing of acrylic paints properly can be very harmful.”

“How can it be?” Bareea asked.

“I read about it in a newspaper article. Environmentalists are talking about ways our planet can be saved. They listed several ways in which we can play our part. I learnt about living minimally and keeping only what is necessary. Declutter and donate unused items. They never said to dispose of them carelessly.”

“Why are you dragging it, Marwa? Get to the point!” Bareea said.

“Listen, Bareea, acrylic paint tubes, when not emptied properly, get thrown into the rubbish and add to hazardous waste. Just like toy cells or car batteries, unemptied paint tubes cannot simply be tossed away. You should harden the paint or let it dry first. If the paint is still in good condition, you can share it with people who need it. As responsible citizens, we should avoid harming the environment.”

Just then, recess was over and everyone went to their classes. However, the conversation had been overheard by Miss Maryam.

The next day, before class, Miss Maryam asked Marwa what else she did at home, along with her hobbies and interests. Marwa disclosed that she loved reading, watching documentaries, helping her mum with chores, taking care of her kitten, looking after her younger brothers and playing chess with her father on weekends.

“That is amazing and productive too,” said Miss Maryam.

The weeks passed by. Dania returned to school refreshed after ten long days. Marwa’s prefect duties had revealed her social, moral and surprisingly environmental responsibilities. Miss Maryam congratulated Dania on her recovery and Marwa on her guidance and supervision.

Just then, Miss Zoya came into the class. It took place that she had awarded Marwa a certificate for demonstrating excellent leadership skills and having a proactive stance towards protecting the planet. The whole class gave her a big round of applause.

Miss Maryam addressed the class, “I remember the very first lecture when I asked Marwa what she was good at, and she remained silent. Fast forward to today, and I can now confidently say that she is indeed very good at fulfilling her responsibilities.”

This was followed by another loud round of applause. Dania and Rabia cheered at the top of their lungs.

Published in Dawn, Young World, June 13th, 2026