By Simran Dhingra
We all are very well accustomed to the term “STUDENT”? After all we all have been one or are one or still continue to be one. If we go by its literal meaning, the word suggests that the person is formally engaged in learning or is a keen learner or observer. But, with a definite course of time we all develop our very own definition of this very term depending on our inter- personal experiences or encounters. For instance, some might FIND it an ingenuous reminder of their unblemished childhood under the aegis of our parents or the terror of unnerving tests and the strictly imposed rules. for others, it’s a memorabilia of our tender and susceptible times when friends and our never- ending chats with them was nothing less than indispensable and for the rest being a student means much more than just subjects grades and age .! For they aren’t students of SCIENCE, COMMERCE OR HUMANITIES or of a particular school, but they are students of substance in this school of life. !
Likewise, I have my personalised definition too and it all comes down to LITTLE ANGELS. ! Fortunately, I have been a part of this well-knit angelic family for as long as I have existed. I have practically spent each crucial moment of my life here! From memorising ABC… counting numbers… reciting nursery rhymes … to thumb painting… – all my foundations lay in here and I think I would never be able to thank my parents enough for finding me this perfect HOME AWAY FROM HOME ! I fondly remember how inquisitive and enthusiastic we all used to be back when we were kids. We would come to school each day, properly dressed up , all set to bombard the teachers with questions and be extremely terrified of the so called rat room which we all occasionally had to visit on charge of misconduct but somehow I have witnessed that inquisitiveness turning into impertinence and that obedience turning into defiance and non-conformity over the years. If only we could preserve that veneration for our teachers and conformity towards the rules and regulations! If only we could get that innocence back! If only we could still sustain being a student while we still can.
So what exactly does being a STUDENT imply? Does it mean you have to attend a school or a university all your life? Do you always have to undergo regular tests and subjective examinations to prove your worth?
To these questions, I say not at all!! Somehow we are missing the bigger picture here! Weren’t we students long before even when we joined a school or got admitted to a university? Didn’t we learn to respond back, to smile, to cry, to crawl all by ourselves? Didn’t our life teach us to step up again each time we fell? Didn’t our parents motivate us to ride our bicycles at all times when we lost our grip?
So I ask you all today when we have been students all this while and all these years, why do we shirk away from being one now?
Why can’t we re-install those values, and re-kindle our belief in being a student again?
What’s exactly stopping us?
Just the belief that I am aged now? That I know all that I ought to?
Aren’t we being detrimental to our own growth that way?
Well what I could conclude from my journey in little angels so far is –
In this school of life, we all are mere students. Our stay here is TIME-bound and we have our planned exits and entrances. So, as long as we are here … why don’t we make our stay count? Why don’t we make it worthwhile? At once, we might embody diverse roles. – Some we might perform exceedingly well and at some we might end up being a massive failure. but propitious would be the one who never gets threatened by failure , stays humble, respects his/her teachers and exemplifies the role of a student with utmost excellency irrespective of his/her age for he believe in hitting the wrong note confidently then hitting the right one unconfidently..
So, never be hesitant from making mistakes! Be a perpetual student and let life be your teacher. Always learn from every situation that you come across! Be open to both error and improvement the question is never about being the ideal student or the most perfect student as there is no such thing! Such titles are utopian! remember, we all are students in this life and should always stay as one as there is always something more to learn , something more to grasp, to gain and a lot more to impart.
Therefore, let’s not forget who we truly are in essence. Let’s abandon this recently acquired recklessness and rebellion! Let’s refrain from being defiant for a while! Let us restore our child-like innocence and inquisitiveness back!
So, what are you guys waiting for? Rise up and gird up your loins to make that wonderful journey all over again while we still have the time!
Let’s get back to what we have cherished being all these years! Let’s retrieve being a student and let’s stay as one for as long as we shall live!
Author is a head girl of Little Angels High School, Gwalior.
