CRAZY COACHING

H (husband): Don’t you think we should put A in a regular class?
M (Me): No, she is going to three people as it is. One teaches English and social science, one teaches maths and science and one teaches Hindi and Marathi. All subjects are sorted. They know her, care for her and she bonds with them. (Thank god for that!)
H: Will that suffice? Will it help her score marks enough to get admission in a good college?
M: Yes it will. (I hope I am right!)
H: I think we should enquire with the coaching classes. (There he goes again!)
And after a month, when this conversation had played itself over 60 times, I decide to venture to find out a coaching class that would sail my daughter through Grade TEN
Yes, my daughter is entering GRADE TEN, the batch of 2013.
As a teacher, I have witnessed kids appearing for the board exams for almost a decade and a half, but let me tell you that in no way has it prepared me for the onslaught that I am facing now as a parent.
I begin my hunt for a good coaching class, I take the usual route: I surf the net. Long lists of coaching classes stare at my face. Each one claims that they are the best. They have every day of my girl planned for the next 365 days...right till the board.
I shortlist three of them and decide to meet them.
Centre number one: They have a regular batch and a vacation batch .And yes, I am informed, I am too late for the admissions. They completed admissions long ago... in October of last year. Sorry, they say. I RUN!
Centre number two: I am welcomed warmly. You don’t have to worry about her once she is here, the lady at the counter tells me. We have everything planned. And I ask her for the vacation batch so that A wouldn’t have to face them through the year. The batch starts the day the vacation begins, no break, I am reminded; its grade ten, she smiles mysteriously. Since kids have school in the month of April (yes, the school is also taking grade ten very seriously) we will have the classes in the afternoon. From May it will be in the morning. Then they will have the evenings free to.....She paused. ‘Play?’ I offer. ‘Revise! She glares at me. Attendance is computerised. Every student is given a swipe card. If she doesn’t come to class, within half an hour you and your husband will get a sms. All her marks will be sent to you by sms first. Only after that will she come to know the marks. All announcements regarding open house will be emailed to you. Madam, I hope your email id is active? She questions me. Yes, I mumble. We have tests every Sunday. There will be three prelims, so that by the boards, your daughter will be thorough. We don’t leave anything to chance. My daughter has dance classes on Sundays, I tell her. She looks at me aghast. Madam, Sunday evenings are free. Ask your dance teacher to change her timings. Why can’t you let go of that dance class for a year? , her eyes seemed to accuse me. Of course, we encourage extra activities. We have a year ending party. She can dance for that, she told me. This lady who threatens to rule the next year of my life. I RUN!
Centre three was a lowly cousin of centre two. No fancy classrooms, no fancy gadgets, no smses and no high fees.Hence not much seating in the classroom either....there were 20 kids in a 4 by 4 room...and I struggled to breathe as I was shown around the ‘classroom’. I RUN!
So I am where I began, convinced that my daughter would benefit from the teachers she was going to. They know her, care about her and she bonds with them.
And then when peace was just settling in, me and H meet Mrs.Gupta at a party. Her son is with Centre number two.
The next morning begins with
H: Don’t you think we should put A in a regular class?
Mindbender: Parents get anxious over the grade ten exams. Yes, it’s a stepping stone in life. But does it have to be a grinding stone. Let kids learn where they are comfortable. The bonding between a student and the teacher is of high importance. If the student loves and respects the teacher, the learning process becomes easy. Pushing them into coaching classes will not generate magical results. There is no right or wrong about the decision that one takes as a parent. Each one believes that what one does is for the benefit of their child. But in that let no one guilt trip you into believing that their way is the right way.Anything else can have dangerous consequences. Take decisions based on what your child needs and likes. The magic lies in letting the year move ahead in peace.