Those Days.....

 I still remember those days, when I used to wake up at 6 and get ready as a lazy being. I reached my bus stop at 7:20 and waited more 5 minutes in front of my mother's school for the school bus to arrive. Nowadays I wake up fresh at 8 and sit for my classes after an hour. No need to tie a perfect ponytail, just wear your school shirt and tie.

The best part of the morning would by chatting with friends during the journey to school. Discussing about homework, knowing what the friends' did yesterday evening and many more.... When my friends were yet to come, I used to view the morning rush of Vadodara and different birds perched on branches. But now where I can see the morning rush, people's routine etcetera? Good morning happens on social media nowadays, like Whatsapp or Instagram. My eyes only glares at my device screen and nothing else. The school bus journey is quite forgotten.

Reaching school first was fun. Roaming around the corridor and waiting for my friends and greeting them with a big smile and 'good morning'. Then till it is 9, chat with classmates and hear their extraordinary tales, then laugh at those funny stories. Assembly was curse sometimes. With a disinterest we would go to the ground or the OTS, make a line, hands back and no talking were the rules. Nowadays it is, join the Google Meet link ten minutes earlier for the assembly, but who comes. "We'll join at 9 or maybe after 9, and if teacher asks, where were we, our excuse will be simple - Ma'am I was having my breakfast, I woke up late" And the best excuse is network issues.

The instructions that were given during our school was - talk in English, walk quietly in the corridor, hands back and no fighting. The instructions given during our online classes are - turn on your camera, turn on your camera and turn on your camera.

During classes our teachers used to scold for talking but now we get scolding for not talking. The best excuse for not studying was, " Didn't bring the book, ma'am." If students were talking a lot, separate the two friends or make them stand in the two opposite corners. But in online classes we can't give any excuse for not studying, as books are at home only, and if not bought, then open the PDF, plus teachers can't separate students for chatting a lot, 'cause children can't talk only in the meeting.

10 at the clock, Recess time. We would used to wait like the animals who wait for their prey. The teacher would be teaching but our eyes would be on the clock. The half an hour was an awaited period, someone for eating, someone for playing and someone for chatting with friends. I and my three friends used to sit together and have our lunch. Our class consisted of some foodies also who used to snatch the food they liked. Actually, that too was fun. Opening tiffin was a surprise for the pals. But now, we don't even have a recess, we can only look at our food after 12:30. Classes go back to back.

Our afternoon classes were really boring. I used to feel so gloomy in some periods, but there were teachers who used to make our classes interesting and funny. The best way to unattended the class was asking, "May i got to the washroom?" And our school had the buddy system, a great advantage to take our friends with us. The way to the washroom was straight and simple, but coming back was a complicated way to understand. Only students know this complicated way. Now we are forced to attend each class, even though it's a boring lecture. But we find solutions for every problem - "Sorry ma'am, I had to leave the meeting 'cause I had some network issues." " Ma'am I was not able to join." "My device battery is low." There are many like these.

"It's a free period." Our classmate would come and shout in our class. Then plans were made to convince the proxy teacher to take us on the ground. We would try all the ways to convince that teacher. Sometimes we passed but we have failed also. Now there's no proxy teacher, all teachers come, I mean join the class. And if didn't joined, we can't talk also, 'cause it's a formal meeting. If we want to talk to a single friend, our conversation would be heard to all the 72 students.

The last bell of the day was rung at 2, the words that used to come from my mouth was - "Thank goodness, school is over." But we had to wait more 30 minutes for the dispersal prayer, then class wise going downstairs and sitting in the bus for teachers and other students to come. Now, at exact 12:20, students' messages start coming in the chat box - period is over, class is over, time is up. A new kind of bell to notify the teachers. And as when the teacher says, "We'll continue the chapter tomorrow," half of the class already leaves the meeting. 

Homework was a punishment for few students. Although I liked to revise the chapters, but homework was a kind of compulsory task. If known that teachers would be checking  our notebooks the following day, then people used complete the chapters in one day. In the online classes, notebook completion is like the daily task, if you wish you can, or leave it. Who'll check, specially online.

Packing the bag for the next day was a must for me, time table wise specially, I used to check the books and the most important stationary pouch. But there were students who used to borrow a pen for the day, they have brought or not. And if the person lost the pen...... तब तो उसकी खैर नहि। But now even if your ink is over, not to worry, just get a new one from your closet and continue writing. No borrowing or blaming another friend.

It was a custom of blaming other classmates, when the teachers caught you doing a mischief. And the blame chain used to never end. But mischief (the main characteristic of a student) is hardly seen in the online classes. If by mistake a student's camera is on and the teachers sees the fellow, he has no way to blame anyone, get the scolding or the best way to run away from the scolding is, leave the class.

Teachers used to pick the student to answer a question from anywhere he was hiding in the classroom, but now if the  teacher ask someone, students at that moment, click on the leave meeting button.

Nowadays the school is our Google Meet and our classroom is the Google Classroom, both on our device.

School days were really fun, sometimes I also feel that school should reopen again, but seeing the condition outside, it is better to stay at home and do the classes virtually.

~ Ria