Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Parent's Marks

There was not much of a confusion when it was time for Neil and me to start school.We were put in a small convent school in the city.Our parents were particular about our education and sent us to Catholic schools without a second thought(this was way before issues on education of Catholic children came up).However that was the only place where we shared the same classroom.When we completed one year there,Neil left to join a famous boy's only Jesuit school.It was only after I completed my KG that I joined my school where I was to make my destiny for 12 years to come.I was enrolled in one of the prestigious convent schools of the city.Run by foreign nuns,it was a typical convent school which aimed to make perfect ladies out of girls.We received training for the same in every aspect of school life.The timetable always had hours like Needle work,Singing,Moral Science /Catechism,Drill,and S.U.P.W .They did not distinguish between the boy (the school admitted boys till class four) and girl child when it came to all these practices.I still remember 'roguish' boys trying their luck at threading a needle and singing "Do re me...'
Discipline was the watch word of the school.Everything worked on a set of infallible rules.They taught us to pray with "Join your hands,bow your heads,close your eyes and pray...".Catholic students had special intensive training.We were to gather, regularly, at the grotto every morning for the "Morning prayer".There we would say the Our Father,Hail Mary,I Believe,and the Memorare and then wind it up singing a hymn we learned in the Catechism class.In lower classes, the third hour of the day was invariably marked M.S/Catechism on our timetable.Catholic students headed to another classroom while the others read their moral science texts in our own classrooms.We had end of term exams for these subjects too.This was where they included the parent's marks.It might have been a brainwave on the part of some venerable founderess of the school,that it was necessary to have a knowledge of the child's growth in his/her domestic ground.
Parents were required to mark out of 5,their wards scores in"Obedience",Respect for Elders",Improvement in Studies",and "Rendering help at home".
These marks were to be written on a paper,totaled out of 20,signed by the parent and send to the class teacher.My parents were only too happy at this provision and plunged enthusiastically to testify their daughter's progress.
Even though we weren't supposed to open the envelope most of us could not resist the temptation to know our marks and compare it with that of others.The first version of the marks I got was 13/20.(Rendering help at home 2.5/5 (because I wouldn't water the plants),Obedience 3/5 (for refusing those vegetables on my plate)).I was pleased with myself and kept it ready for submission.It was a shock to find that a huge majority had 20/20 ! It seemed like I was the lone un-tameable shrew in the class.However the teacher noticed it too and announced the unsaid clause that parents are not to give full marks at any cost.I resolved to be my best around the time due for the next assessment.This time it improved by one,while the rest of the 'angels' in my class got 19 (some even 19.5).

We had this assessment till class 8 and the best score I ever got was 17/20.No amount of cajoling,reasoning or threats could
make mum put 4's for all the choices."It's for your own good",she'd say.
Now when I think about it,I still cannot hope to get 20/20,but I am sure Ive learned something more important.I imbibed the virtue of honesty from my parents.My school did succeed in it's vision but with a difference,it moulded me and my family.
"God bless our own dear convent school..."

18 comments:

Ram Iyer said...

hi neena,

just happened to chance upon your blog. really liked the name and the description. its one of the most beautiful songs in malayalam.

this song also reminds me of "kannanthumbi poramo" from the classic fazil film.

regards
sRi

mathew said...

lovely post..somehow felt very close to the content of the post..i cant barely imagine myself studying in that convent school u are talking off..am pretty sure the nun's would have had a tough time..;-P

I would have loved to study in a jesuit school though..somethin which i crave even now..but it wasnt bad studyin in K.V where it was altogether different experience..atleast hindi paranju pidichu nikaan padichu..;-P

And I guess our schooling system is turning worse these days with even 1st standard kids being send to tutions and all..Tutions are now bigger than Institutions..and i say parents are equally to blame as much as depreciating teaching standards..

mathew said...

Nice to see someone who was tortured to eat the veggies..;-P

I remember myself hiding vegetables under papaddoms or beneath fish bones so that Appa couldnt find it out.. ;-P

Jiby said...

wonderful post...i laughed and laughed because it brought back a lot of good memories of the times i taunted my sis for the ladyship that your school was making her.

your alma mater is an excellent school...probably the only school in kerala where each and everyone who studied there can speak english properly. my only grouse is that the nuns don't think that physical conditioning and sports is as important for girls, as it is for boys.

the parents marks...oh how can i forget that. i don't think i never took more sadistic pleasure in torturing a soul, than when jisha would bring this home, because my mom would consult me for marking her on Obedience and Respect for Elders. "ivalkke njan parayunnathe anusarikkunnathe valya budhimuttaanu"..."pinne bahumaanathinte kaaryam parayuve venda...athennode theere illa"... haha...good times...she would tag behind me all day and soapidufy till i changed my opinion.

thanks for these posts...i am reliving a lot of nostalgia through your blog. do you know there are a few bloggers around from your school...check out pooja and quills. sure a lot of the "angels" would love to read this post.

Usha said...

ahem.. i know all the convent schools around are almost similar.. but just curious to know, did you go to HAC, Tvm? This just sounds soo much like it!
Good writeup! :)

Neena Padayatty said...

@sriram
Thanks for visiting :)
@mathew
"am pretty sure the nun's would have had a tough time"
well...i wouldn't guarantee that coz they had novel ways of punishing unruly boys..for eg: make them wear a girl's pinafore for an hour in class for soiling their shirts!!...still don't appreciate too much veggies.Mum keeps juggling with 'kadala' and green peas for the Lent diet...tuition's in 1st std..that's another story...!
@jiby
It's really good to hear a Loyolite praise our school.So they do make a few gentlemen there!...My school life was to an extent shadowed by the brightness of Neil's and your school...yes,that's true we had a weak sports dept.But i think things are changing now.I have been looking for other Angelites here...thank u,chetta.
@usha
Bingo!...an Angelite?...thanks for dropping by and those kind words :)

Usha said...

ah, there! I was honestly a little more than sure! :)

Though I don't think the 'parent's mark' thingie existed back then when I went to school!

good to have come across your blog. would love to read more posts on school. Whenever I bump into good old school friends, we always have just one topic to discuss. That life has never been an fun and unpredictable as it used to be at school. You can find some of my posts on our school here>> http://ushadhanraj.blogspot.com/search/label/school

silverine said...

Lovely post! We too had a boys school in our premises and they studied till the 4th here and then went onto St Josephs from 5th. They had their own Princi and faculty and I remember the Nuns being so partial and indulgent of their "little devils". I hated Catechism and wished I could do Moral science till a sweet old Irish Nun came and changed all that :)

@Jiby: "So they do make a few gentlemen there!" ha ha ha

Jiby said...

@silverine - no comments! ;)

Anonymous said...

excellent read.

even we had these moral science lessons.. and one fine day someone decided we are going to have exams for moral science.. one incident i cannot forget happened during this exam.. more than half the class was caught copying from under the desk. hehe.. I guess the school authorities got the answer, as to how effective the moral science classes were!

all happened in the same jesuit school as your brother studied, an educated guess from your surname. I was his classmate, if I am right :)

Neena Padayatty said...

@usha
Hope to relive memories of our school in future posts.
@silverine
I dont think the nuns at our school were partial to boys...guess they considered handling them their penance!
@anoop
Really?don't remember Neil citing such an incident...thanks for dropping by :)

Mathew Jose said...

I am from a different time, but i also did my time in HAC(76-80) and then went to St Joseph's.Sr Magellan was the HM. I still remember the punishment meted out to unruly boys.....sitting between two girls for an entire period.No wonder many of us were always aiming to get punished :) . Now I am reliving the kid class experiences when i am taking my daughter to her preschool here in NY.But she is missing out a lot on what we used to have at HAC.

Sweetliar said...

sweet memories :) my mom refused to give me full marks too!! and i always lost out on 'obedience' :P hehe...

neethu said...

n i thot i was d only one who 'failed' in parents marks..16 ws d highest i evr got..lol..nice work neena..keep goin!

Rachana said...

as usual a gud one dear.. i'm impressed by ur remarkable memory.. yu do have evn d tiny details in mind.. very much appreciable :)

Neena Padayatty said...

@aishwarya,neethu,rachana

This post can be appreciated in true spirit only by people who've been there...thanks for visiting :)

sreelakshmi said...

very nice..cant imagine how u remember these many dtails...but then, who can 4get parents' marks?

joshyaj said...

Excellent post. though i was late to read it ...it took me 15 years back in a moment......!!