As a former teacher, I really enjoyed working there and was given full freedom to experiment and try out new teaching strategies, provided the curriculum coming in the exam was covered. It does offer limitless opportunities to both teachers and students to grow and develop their strengths and exploit their potential to the fullest.
However, clearing the admission test and interview is only the first rung on the ladder. The pressure does not abate after that but keeps escalating with boys facing stiff and cut-throat competition in academics, sports and co-curricular. Overambitious and fanatic parents add their own dynamic to the equation.
Shahrukh Khan in a TV show claimed that after he became successful, that was the point when he started working even harder and never ever took his success for granted. Maybe that is the reason he is King Khan because generally, complacency sets in after a certain point in your career where you feel you can sit back, put your feet up for a bit and take a break from the rat race.
Studying in a top notch institution with the crème de la crème of the society is not always what it is made out to be. There is cutthroat competition and a constant pressure to excel
Similarly, attaining admission in Aitchison College is a silent assent to join the rat race. Every day, the pressure mounts and the noose around the necks of the students becomes increasingly tighter. Parents perpetually complain and vocalise their grievances in front of parents and the administration but as a teacher, you have to take that in your stride and develop a really thick skin.
I have heard so many horror stories of boys who experience a meltdown or suffer from panic attacks on the day of the admission test. Imagine a six-year-old carrying the burden of so many expectations on his young shoulders. For the last nine months, he has been working like a robot and the pressure keeps on mounting gradually as the D-day draws closer and closer. Imagine the pain of rejection and being told that despite all the misery you went through for the last nine months, you are not good enough and you didn’t make it. That is only the beginning, though. There are plenty of stories of parents who have put their children through that torture every year until they eventually decided to call it quits or their son managed to finally make it after repeated attempts.
Is it really worth it? Well, that is a very good question because people, no matter where they are or what they achieve, are never happy. The pros are that it is a brand and does in a way set you up for life. The grandeur and magnificence of the buildings, the sprawling impeccably maintained campus and the numerous diverse opportunities offered do place it in a league of its own. But what you gain from this opportunity depends a lot on what you want out of it. Studying in a top notch institution with the crème de la crème of the society is not always what it is made out to be. There is cutthroat competition and a constant pressure to excel. If you excel, the expectations keep on mounting and if you do not, there is that constant pressure to do so.
Private schools would benefit from holding weekly classes on mindfulness where the children should be taught to practise gratitude and positive thinking. They should be taught to meditate and live in the present.
Never let success go to your head or failure to your heart. By all means, children should be encouraged to do their best but not at the cost of their mental, physical and emotional health. We need to value and nurture our children and that does not always mean excelling in academics or studying at the best institutions, despite what the majority believes. Love and nurture them and allow them to spread their wings and fly when they are ready to do so.
The writer can be contacted via email: gaiteeara@hotmail.com