When we hear the word “school”, many memories of our school life come flooding back. School life is a profoundly memorable time for everyone, filled with countless memories.

School is a place where we begin with tears, as we become distanced from our parents for the first time. It is where we make our first friends, embark on a journey from holding a pencil to solving the toughest algebra questions in math, participate in sports and various activities, go on field trips, have fun, engage in fights, and much more.

What makes school special is that we enter with tears and also leave with tears. My mother always tells me that I cried so much on my first day of school that other children started crying too. Similarly, on the last day of school, tears filled my eyes, making it difficult for me to bid farewell to my school forever.

On the final day, we experience mixed feelings. We are happy because we have completed our basic education, yet we are also saddened at leaving our friends and teachers to embark on a new journey. It is challenging to say goodbye to the school where we spent so many years and made lasting memories.

While we are in school, it often feels like the worst place for us. We make various excuses to not go to school, with the most common being pretending to be sick. Even in the classroom, we constantly gaze at the clock, longing for the class to end and to get a break.

However, when our school life comes to an end and we are granted a permanent break from school, we begin to miss those days and wish to relive them. When I was in school, I used to think the same way, eagerly awaiting the end of my school life. But now, as I’m in college and my school days are over, I genuinely miss them and long to go back in time.

School life is the best time of a person’s life because, during that time, we have minimal stress, no significant responsibilities and studies are not overly difficult. However, once school life is over, academic life becomes more challenging, responsibilities pile up, and life becomes incredibly busy, leaving us with little time for ourselves and even for our friends.

School days are incredibly beautiful. Waking up early in the morning to go to school, especially in winter, is often the most challenging task for children. Attending the morning assembly and singing the National Anthem, all while fighting off sleepiness, leads us to the classroom where meeting and conversing with friends refreshes us completely. Showing our homework to the teacher and coming up with lame excuses if it’s incomplete, like forgetting to bring the notebook, becomes a norm.

After giving such excuses, we listen to the teacher’s scolding, while those who have completed their homework proudly sit in class, enjoying the scene of their classmates being scolded. And the moments of secretly talking and eating with friends during lectures and even sleeping on the backbench are experiences none of us can ever forget.

When the principal enters the classroom, everyone immediately becomes disciplined and sits quietly. Recess time has its own charm, as we happily go to the canteen during break time and eagerly awaiting our turn, engaging in small fights with classmates whom we consider as our biggest enemies.

Pretending to understand every­thing in front of the teacher, even if the lecture is unclear, becomes a skill we master. We rejoice when the teacher is absent, considering it the best day, and pray for their absence on test days. Making friends with the class toppers when exams are near so they can help us becomes a common practice. The nervousness and stress of the result day, when our heart beats faster as we collect our results, is a memory that stays with us.

We become disciplined in class when parent-teacher meetings are approaching, to avoid any complaints from the teacher. School elections bring a sense of excitement, as we create slogans and posters and enjoy campaigning for the student council. The news of a field trip fills us with joy, and on the day of the trip, we wake up early in the morning, even before our mothers, due to our excitement. At the end of the year, buying new clothes and dressing up for the school farewell is a time we all cherish.

Most readers of this article are likely to either be in school or have already graduated, and they can relate to the experiences I’ve mentioned above. There is no doubt that school life is a golden period in all of our lives, and we can never forget these beautiful school days. Time passes, but memories remain etched in our hearts forever.

So, enjoy your school life, focus on your studies and respect your teachers. They invest so much energy into teaching us. Also, respect your parents, as it is because of them that we have the opportunity to experience a beautiful school life and collect a lifetime of memories.

Published in Dawn, Young World, July 15th, 2023