How many of u would like to go back to school for one whole day, without the burden of being a student and having to study…

Observation day is the day when we get the wonderful opportunity of seeing our children at school and observe all their activities…. Doesn’t it sound wonderful? Believe me, it is…

Rahul…. Rahul… wake up…. It is time for school… Is the normal routine everyday… but on observation day, it will be Mom, Mom … wake up … get ready fast…. U have to come to school today!!!

My attire and makeup… my posture and conversation is decided in advance by my son… Mom… u should not speak to Aakash mother… I don’t like him… so u cannot be friends with his mother… varun is my best friend… u must speak to his mother…. Don’t wear too much makeup… other children would tease me later on… no saris… I want u to wear a salwar and look like Ashwin’s mother…. Young and beautiful….

And Rahul is in his third standard!!!

School starts at 8.30 and we are given permission to go in by 9 a.m.

Entering the classroom… the morning prayer is complete and the children are ready with their books…

Enter the Hindi teacher… Sree gurubyonamha … sukkeee bava…. Hayagreev wat r u doing under the table? Mam.. mam…. My hindi book pages are flying below the desk maam… OH… is that so… quickly pick them up…. Children, help Hayagreev…And the whole class is down under Hayagreev’s desk for another 10 mins…

Children, children… please… oh my god… u know how difficult it is to control these children… this section is the worst section of the lot… CHILDREN

Let us start our lesson… where did I stop the last time? 1st page third line… no yea u were sleeping we completed the first page… no no miss did not take that lesson at all…and on goes the argument… and the teacher is so harassed that she swears… What a disobedient class… I don’t want to teach such children…. And walks out… expecting someone to stop her…

Parents look baffled and children are busy discussing the latest episode of Dragon BallZ or the power rangers on their cartoon show… zooooooooom… out of the chair, on the desk… and ready to jump….

The bell went off…. TRRRRRiiinnnngggggggggggggggggggg!!!! And the noise decibels in the classroom went much higher and higher!!!

As I was debating the standard of education and the children’s discipline… a side line discussion about dresses and accessories was going on between the other parents, who seemed oblivious to their surroundings…

CHILDREN…. GOOD AFTERNOON…. This booming voice brought pin drop silence into the classroom… even the parents stood up in respect when the math teacher entered the class room…

The naughtiest of children were in their place, books open and ready for the class… the teacher did not raise her voice, but went ahead with her coaching in a well disciplined and systematic manner…

40 mins of peace and quiet… I wondered if this was the same class I came into…

When the math teacher came to the parents section and wanted to know whose parents we were, and one mother beside me jumped up in her enthusiasm and started complaining about her son’s breakfast habits, lunch habits, and all other irrelevant things other than his education and how he is doing in class…. By the time I got a chance to enquire the teacher about my son’s progress academically…, the bell rang, the teacher excused herself and left the classroom… and hell broke loose…

The next period was Social Studies… and the children were as relaxed discussing their own histories and Geographies of the cartoon characters, the parents were chatting about the latest trends… and I…

I abruptly got up, excused myself and came rushing home… My god!!! What has education come to…

I was bemused, bewildered, and befuddled … do I feel sorry for the teachers, the students, or the parents…. How can I pity one of them when all three did not have their objectives clear… parents discussing fashion… does not mean all parents do it… or students under the desk and discussing cartoon… they are children… a disciplined teacher is able to control them… or the teachers who are not able to control the class… I don’t think I can control the class myself, so who am I to judge…

If u thought observation day was fun… it was. But it also made me rethink my options on better parenting. If u all get an opportunity to be at your wards school on Observation day… DON’T MISS IT…