Apart from the sheer joy that a teacher feels each time she puts down a mark on the last exam script, there are other instances during this triannual affair when all our senses, muscles and nerves are completely awakened.
Invigilation ! Those two agonizing hours of invigilation which crawl past us at a pace that could put a snail to shame, provides much food for thought and amusement. Has anyone ever noticed how, when the teacher after parading around the class, dodging desks for something like an hour decides to go back to her place for just a wee moment, a bright spark at the other end requires paper. By the way, the teacher may have just passed her desk two minutes ago.
There are other things too – like the sheer silence that rings through the school corridors. The peace that descends upon the sacred edifice of the school building gives us a taste of heaven. And then we have the solemn spectacle of spectacles that remain perched on the nose tips of the teachers from morning to night. Their facial expressions range from delight to despair, all within the span of several minutes. Did I mention the extra handbag ? The one that becomes home to half a dozen bundles of answer scripts ? That is the bag that the teacher guards with her life.
Then we have the dark circles that dance around the poor teacher’s eyes. She has been keeping too many late nights, you see. The kitchen is witness to the gallons of coffee that are churned out to keep her awake. It is vital for the teacher’s survival – this deliciously dark concoction that swirls its way into tall mugs that sit perched on her writing table. Oh the list is endless!
But actually what fills me with deep admiration are the engrossed faces of the young scholars – thinking, writing, philosophizing. There are a few too, who seem totally committed to the noble cause of spreading knowledge that the world is yet to discover !! I applaud them. It takes a very fertile mind and endless hours of not studying regularly to produce the kind of theories that they do.
In any case exams aren’t really good for anyone’s health and peace of mind, but they are here to stay. So all we can do is to wish the very best to all the great warriors who embark on this journey some three times a year. May they be blessed with confidence, faith and the belief that this too shall pass, pun intended.
