Returning to School - Essay Example

Returning to School inserts his/her Returning to school is a highly emotional nostalgic feeling forany man or woman. It is universal. It was the day after my visit to one of the remote places in my village. I was just preparing to go to bed. I was simply floating through my future plans. Fragile I know they are, I forcefully kept them aside and went back to the memories of my life. The days I spent in the school were not up to the expectation of my parents. Why should I say more? I did not like to attend school those days. But the presence of our new teacher changed me a lot. The way she managed the classes attracted me a lot. She was really lovable; better say he loved the children in the class to the students’ expectation. ‘‘What shall I do with tomorrow’s assignments?’’ A lightning flashed through my mind and I was totally taken away from my school days. The hectic schedule and a never attainable target from my boss; I felt that I was in a dilemma. Then in a halo of intoxicated fear I fell into the hands of drowsy sleep. When my mother came to me with a cup of coffee in the coming morning I was in half sleep. She asked me whether I was not going to the office. I jumped up and sat on my bed and my forehead was filled with sweat. I could not say anything for a while. While walking through the lonely paths of the previous day’s dream scenes were pricking me inside. I was being chased by a black dog with white spots on its body. I think it to be a bull dog or mastiff. It chased me a long distance. I was panting. Then I saw that I was placed in front of an office door. I was quite startled that I was in front the same door, yes the door of the very room where I was interviewed by the interview board who; selected me for the present career. I remember a situation where I encountered with a dog of this kind in my dreams in my childhood when I was studying in the lower elementary classes. This time I wanted to make tours to different places in the world. What I wanted to know is the mind of the children. What do they think of their school? How much do they love their teachers? My teachers in kindergarten and in the elementary classes are still there in my mind. The little madam who taught me rhymes in the KG. She did not teach me. She fed me with rhymes as my mom fed me with puddings. When I recollect their classes and their faces they are really shining in my heart. Let me call them to be the melting ice of love. Nobody will forget their teachers in the younger classes. Think this is universal. As children, we spend the major chunk of our time with our teachers than with our parents. They creep into our budding memories. So the children are pasted to a loving net of teaching care. This net, sometimes we feel it to be dreary one during school days. We may murmur and try to break the net. As a kid my legs and hands were very agile and fast. I wanted unrestricted freedom those days. But today whenever I try to bring out the loving memory of my school days, I am proud and thankful that I was in such net of care, protection, affection and love. So there is little chance for anyone to forget his school days. If there are bitter experiences they are filled with sugar crystals. Even though I was busy with hundreds of psychological cases allotted to me to analyze I went through the minds of thousand kids. I asked many of them to share their love to their good teacher. They all had mouthful of rushing words to describe the love of their teachers. Children around the globe think alike of their teachers and school life. They show a kind of fidelity towards their teachers in their younger classes. They are to ‘be’ like that. It is an enjoyable thing after some years to think over the school life and teachers in different ways and in bringing our minds to multi ended conclusions. When I read Totochan I feel myself to be a kid born in Asia and when I think a bit philosophical I move to the Latin American rhythm of The Pedagogy of the Oppressed. We were quite surprised that there are kids like us who enjoyed schooling adventurously. We the kids those days came to a conclusion that kids are alike and they are free like butterflies. Their minds are one and their wishes are alike irrespective of their culture or there political boundaries. Some learn with the help of digital electronic devices some listen to the voice of the nature. In their age they are with fewer complaints. They love each other. Language or cultural background nothing keeps them away from good friendship. The language of childhood and schooling is unique and universal. The life in the school classes is highly enjoyable. The lives in the elementary schooling and in the college classes are totally different. The former one fills me with a spiritual and heavenly happiness. I would like to go back there again and again. But I feel my college life gave me nothing worth remembering. The innocent child of the village was strangling held in the clutches of city college life. The long journey of mine into the myriads of human minds especially of children reveals me that they are alike in their wishes on childhood and schooling. So any man or woman looks back into his or her school life with nostalgic feeling. This feeling, likes and dislikes, I think are universal. Regional disparities, cultural boundaries or political difference do not make difference in the mind set of the children. They are bound together with a natural adhesive of love. So we like to be the child replica of our own manhood or womanhood. Regarding the benefits of college education one can identify that majority of the discussions begins and ends with the economic value of education. But grave studies concerned with this topic have unveiled the reality that the benefits of college education are manifold. These studies also expose that the benefits of education are not merely external. Terry Doyle and John Tagg (2008) make a clear assessment of the benefits of education in their book, “Helping students learn in a learner-centered environment: a guide to facilitating learning in higher education,” under the title, ‘The Benefits of College Education’. According to them, the benefits of education really helps one to explore one’s internal selves and building lifelong learning skills that will guide us for the rest of our lives. Doyle & John quote the words of Porter (2002) when the author identified the benefits of education. Porter recognizes the benefits of education as the; increased personal/professional mobility, improved quality of life for their off spring, better consumer decision, and more hobbies and leisure activities (Doyle & John, 2008). There are many barriers or obstacles that one has to overcome if one needs to complete a graduation successfully. One of the prominent obstacles among them is the incapability of the students in focusing on their studies. Certain factors, like financial, psychological or physical, very often cause for deviating their attention from studies. Other obstacles include the lack of discipline and the inability of the students in finding out joy in learning. This inability prevents them from setting their goals and organizing their future. If one is capable enough to overcome such difficulties, the success will be of his. Proper strategies should be implemented to overcome the obstacles for the successful completion of graduation. John W. Santrock & Jane S. Halonen (2008), “Your Guide to College Success: Strategies for Achieving Your Goals” advocate some of the strategies as; create a self-contract and find a support person; connect values, goals, and time; revisit your values; revisit your goals, develop an action plan, and so on. It makes clear the fact that strategies are inevitable to overcome obstacles. To conclude, one can infer that school days are the sweetest days that one ever enjoys in his/her life time. References Doyle, Terry. & John, Tagg. (2008). Helping students learn in a learner-centered environment: a guide to facilitating learning in higher education” illustrated Edition, Stylus Publishing, LLC. p.34 Santrock, W. John. & Halonen, S. Jane. (2008). “Your Guide to College Success: Strategies for Achieving Your Goals.” Cengage Learning, 6th revised edition. Pp.68-69 Read More