S-C-H-O-O-L

S-C-H-O-O-L  This six lettered word, brings amazing and unforgettable memories which still stand afresh in our minds. Memories, which throb with life that it seems like it all happened  just yesterday. I still remember myself being in Kindergarten, hating that cruel class teacher who didn’t allow , us kiddos to talk. And in a flash, I’m out of school now. Fourteen years seemed to happen so fast, that I need this time to sit back and recollect what happened. 

      St.John’s, where I spent the major portion of my life, is indeed more than a school. Perhaps it’s what the school’s anthem says ‘My Second Home’. I studied till my 10^th grade at St.John’s English School and then shifted to St.John’s Matriculation, Mandaveli so that I could pursue a state board syllabus. My schooling days with the former is almost a blur to me. May be, I was too small to remember everything that happened or my past two wonderful years at the latter has just overshadowed it. 

 

 We were so restricted and confined ( discipline is what they call it)  at my first school, but when I stepped into the new one to do my Higher Secondary schooling, it was my first taste of freedom. Freedom that the teachers were nothing but friends to you,  you can raise a question anytime, after all you were a senior!. 11^th grade was the best time of my life, seriously. The best thing that amazed me about this school was that I never ever expected a state board school to have such high standards. To me ( and to a lot others) , Stateboard just meant mugging up the limited  textbook and presenting them in exams ditto. Contrary to my premonitions, this school amazing teachers who would just go out of the book and do whatever it takes to get  the concept straight into your head.  I never learnt to write the answers –verbatim ( as, they tell you to) till the very end .And, I did survive two years, didn’t I? They NEVER pressurized us to study, but studying happened- just like that :) ( to me, at least).

          What I liked best about the school were the English Teachers. The moment I write this , there is this tear drop falling on my laptop. Such wonderful teachers I had. 11^th grade English was a bliss with Albert Sir. He was such a teacher that he could even make the most boring lessons from the stateboard textbook come out with life.  He doesn’t talk loud, neither is he strict- but even the wildest child in the class would listen to him entangled in the web he spins, in rapt attention. Sometimes its only one line that he teaches in a class, but the info he gives you relating that is worth a hundred classes! 12th grade was even  more amazing, I had the sweetest teacher ever. Jayanthi Paul Ma’am- How beautifully she taught us the lessons from that dull textbook. Her voice and accent are unforgettable. They still and will always keep ringing in my ears. Her sweet, encouraging smile when I get things wrong .Bliss, truly.  I also happened to be the President of my school’s English Literary club. This meant I got to interact with her a   lot and hence I learnt a LOT from her.

Like most students out there, I hated math, very well. And then came this teacher- Viji Ma’am, who made me enjoy maths! This surprised the hell out of me-Hey! I liked math too ! . She was our class teacher too in 12^th grade. Chuck the subject, the pieces of advice which she gave us over the past two years were simply priceless. I got to take tuitions with her-lucky all the more.

The list is never ending- Physics classes were amazing, Chemistry classes were boring yet engaging. And yes, language classes- we had a teacher who would make us kneel down when we didn’t do our assignments (this didn’t happen even for the major subjects, but for language-yes!) . It was nonetheless fun: D. and well, he was an awesome teacher!

          And about my class- ours was the coolest class in school. That was because, we were extremely vulnerable and got into trouble for things which we didn’t do. Well, our class was branded bullies and any mishap happens at school, everyone’s head turns to our class- So doesn’t that explain why we were the coolest? Totally! And in spite of all the things we screwed up, well, we had fun to the core!

Lot of issues came up, best friends became sworn enemies and vice versa. People split up with a oath of not talking again at all (which was indeed broken most of the time) . Some left the school, some were put into another class and well, a lot of random things happened.

         And yes, how will I miss out the food?!  By the end of 12^th grade we had two canteens at the prayer hall, which could barely fit us all in for any occasion. There arose the ‘Which canteen is the best’ poll, and hence the dull daily menu of samosas and rolls were replaced by pizzas, chicken and soups!  Needless to say, all recess breaks were spent in the canteen and sometimes we even took extra time to savor the delicacies, which in turn resulted in us standing out of class ( If it is a Computer Science period, precisely) for coming late. Come on, it was yummy food Vs C programming. Which one, you decide!  

The list will go on, and I can picture myself four years from now, drooling about the fact that I miss college so much. Well, School-life may just be a chapter in the book of Life. But, it is the most interesting one. 

Toodles!