An Exemplary Teacher - An Ideal Guru

Seeing an elderly man sitting on the railway station bench, a young man came running to him 
- touched his feet and said:
Namaskar Guru ji! Do you remember me?"
"Sorry. I don't --- Please remind me?"
"Sir, I was your student thirty years ago - in the seventh grade."
"Son... I can't see very well nowadays - and it has been so many years, so I could not recognize you." 
He asked the young man to sit down beside him and affectionately started patting his back.
"So, What do you do these days?" He asked.
"I have also become a teacher like you." The student replied. 
"Well! That's good, but the teacher's salary is not that great - then why did you decide to become a teacher?"
"With your inspiration, Sir. 
You had such an impact on my young mind as a child that I decided that I would also try to be like you when I grow up."
"How did I inspire you? I was just an ordinary teacher in an ordinary primary school all my life, didn't do anything special that could make an impact on someone's mind. What did you see in me that made you follow me?"
"When I was in seventh grade, an incident happened - and you saved me. That's when I decided to become a teacher." The student replied.
"Really? What happened?"
"One day, a rich boy in our class came wearing an expensive watch on his wrist and started showing it to everyone with great pride. 
All the children were looking at that watch with greedy eyes. I also wished to have a watch like that. During the gym class, when he placed his watch in his bag, I stole it. 
Later, that boy complained to you that someone had stolen his watch from his bag. 
You announced in the class, that whoever has stolen that watch, should return it voluntarily - and he will not be punished. 
But I was scared - so I did not return the watch.
Then you closed the classroom door and told us to stand in a line - with our eyes closed. 
 You said you were going to search everyone's pockets - and anyone who opens his eyes during the search will be expelled from the school. 
We all stood with our closed eyes. One by one, you were going through everyone's pockets. When you came to me, my heart started beating faster. I knew I was going to be caught - and the label of a 'Thief' would be attached to my name for the rest of my life.  My heart was filled with guilt - with remorse. But to my surprise, even after getting the watch from my pocket, you continued to check everyone's pockets till the end of the line. 
Then giving the watch back to the boy, you said, "do not come to school wearing such an expensive watch or jewelry, and whoever had stolen it should not do such a thing again." 
After saying this, you started teaching again as usual.
The young man's eyes were filled with tears as he narrated this story. 
With an emotional, shivering voice, he continued, "That day, you saved me from being embarrassed in front of everyone. Even later, you never let anyone know me being a thief. You never discriminated against me. This thing made such an impact on me that right then and there, I decided that I too would follow your footsteps - try to be a guru like you."

But Guruji, I have not understood one thing till today. You saved me from being embarrassed in front of everyone, but you could have scolded me in private - you could have told me not to do this ever again. But you never even mentioned this thing to me even in private."

There was a smile on Guruji's lips and a slight glow in his eyes. 
Then he said slowly: "Son! I never knew who had committed the theft that day. 
Because, while I was searching your pockets, I had also closed my eyes."