What did I learn in school?
by Pallavi Maheshwari
What all did I learn in school?
In my school, I learned a lot.
My friends, my dear ones used to get punished
I learned how to be insensitive towards their pain
I learned how to make fun of them.
Because this is what should happen to them, RIGHT?
I was the monitor of the class,
I learned how to hide all my insecurities, my fears
My anxieties and my tears,
Because this is what I was supposed to do, RIGHT?
Crying was a shameful act,
Being fearful was embarrassing,
It was a symbol of weakness,
I learned how to suppress my feelings, my emotions.
After all I didn’t want to be counted in weak, RIGHT?
In my school, I had class after class,
There was no scope to take breaks during classes
I learned to control my nature calls,
I remember how a girl in my class, pooped!
Because she couldn’t get expertise in this,
And didn’t has the courage to ask for..
I learned how to laugh at her helplessness..
Because she deserved it, RIGHT?
Students who stood first would get rewards,
I also wanted to be rewarded
So I learned how to get good marks
I started rote learning,
I learned how to cheat, how to manipulate your answers,
I think, this is the only way to learn anything, RIGHT?
It was board exams this time
We all were anxious about the results
I got 76 and my friends were below 65
More than being happy on my false success
I was sad about them
I got back to my normal behavior
But they didn’t, they misunderstood me,
It was not competition but envy,
I learned how to deal with the envy of my own friends,
This is what I was supposed to do, RIGHT?
I learned not to trust others,
I learned how to doubt their intentions,
I learned how to pick faults in end results
Instead of appreciating the efforts,
I learned how to be indifferent towards my own waste,
I learned to acknowledge textbooks as ultimate source of knowledge,
I learned not to ask questions,
I learned how to polish my intellect,
Because manual labor is something beneath an educated one.
I learned how to be obedient, disciplined and submissive.
Yeah unintentionally! In my school, I learned a lot..
Because this is what schools are for, RIGHT?
