Coaching Classes : Boon or Bane?

Having attended a large number of coaching classes in high school, I feel qualified to write about this. Throughout my school life, it was a very touchy subject. Schools prided on being self-sufficient and looked down on students who went to coaching classes. Many peers did not respect me and assumed that whatever brilliance I exhibited was from prior knowledge from these classes. Relatives felt I was so stupid that I required coaching. Despite all this, why do students attend coaching classes and is it useful at all?

This is from my personal experience, my views cannot be generalised to any class. There is an ocean of difference between the quality of classes.

#1 Peer Pressure

This is the No.1 reason for me attending coaching classes in 9th grade. My parents felt I was losing out on an edge that some of my peers may have. Initially, I was disgruntled. I was not some idiot who required coaching. But when I joined there, I loved it. I made lasting friendships. I was a painfully shy and quiet kid. I doubt I learned anything useful but I enjoyed the company.

#2 The Difference in Syllabus

This I felt at the end of 10th grade. When I attempted to solve previous JEE papers, I was at a clear loss. There is a humongous leap from 10th syllabus to 11th. And the gap is even more prominent with entrance exams. So, I applied for many IIT-JEE coaching institutes. I could not afford half of them. Then, at a tradeoff between quality and cost, I settled at the best option available to me. Even the coaching classes had an entrance exam! Very soon, there'll be coaching classes for those entrances :P

#3 School vs. Coaching

This is where the crux of the issue lies I feel. Most school teachers concentrate on completing the syllabus and most coaching classes concentrate on clearing ranks. Amidst these crazy races, the central goal of learning, the concept, is lost. Again, this is a sweeping generalization as I am going to list a few exceptions below. It is not particularly anybody's fault. As a result oriented society, working in a limited time-frame, say 2-4 years, we are fanatic about achieving a goal and these are the paths available to them.

#4 Engaging Children

With working parents and distracted teenagers, coaching classes became puddles of guaranteed concenration. It has become a teenager creche if I may go as far as that. Like I mentioned before, I made a lot of meaningful friendships, sometimes with those professors themselves!

#5 Small Sizes

Since a lot of school teachers do not to take subjects to a required depth, many coaching classes thrive. I found this to be particularly true for Physics. I fell in love with the subject at coaching classes. Once again, I'm emphasizing that school teachers are not to blame. As they have a class of students with varying abilities and interest, more often than not, they have to pander to the lowest common denominator.

The Million Dollar Question: Did these classes help?

First, let me list the classes I went for. Ninth and Tenth standard, I went for coaching in Science and Math, It was mostly concept oriented. I remember he used to make fun of my teachers for making mistakes and I used to pounce on him and defend them. Simply because the complaints he picked up were from students who were not paying attention to my teachers in the first place :P I liked going there, it was light, funny and in words of another coaching prof, "Intellectual Entertainment". I felt like it was brain exercise. Plus, I was an insufferable know-it-all at that time, it was fun :P Both, to be made fun of and to be myself :D In 11th I went for IIT Coaching. That was when I fell in love with Physics. I could not cope with the strenuous hours. I quit mid-way but continued learning Organic Chemistry. Then, in 12th I went to three coaching classes, Math, Physics and Chemistry. I dropped out of chemistry in 2-3 months. My math mam became a very good friend, she used to  find mistakes in questions where my answers were correct, something I had not experienced before. She used to call them compensating errors. Last but definitely not the least, I am indebted lifelong to that Physics coaching sir. What was previously a love for Physics, he made me win her hand. He instilled so much confidence in me and sharpened my skills.

I do not know how much they contributed individually. If I had not gone for any of these coaching, I would not have got into a premier institute.  Collectively, for me, they worked. That is because I love to study. I think if you are invested in these classes and have a yearning to learn new things, it's a boon. If you go there because your parents or friends told you so, it's a bane. I could not gain this expertise in school. Why that is, is not completely clear to me. I have a hunch it is because we have large classrooms and less teachers that we cannot get as much individual attention as we deserve.

Any Drawbacks?

The first time I thought my life was meaningless, I was 16. The tremendous pressure to achieve is something no child should have to undergo. I do not think coaching classes are to blame per se. If the teaching methodologies come together, such that if you put effort in school, you can achieve the results you desire, nothing would be better than that. Many students coach weak students after school. If you coach students at the other end of the spectrum as well, that would be awesome. That was the irony of the situation. Most people think that the lives of students like me who enjoy studying are rosy and set. It is very difficult to fathom how rocky their roads are.

Musings

I didn't go for any coaching during college. College syllabus was quite self contained. I felt the difficulty level was 10% of what I needed to understand in school. I qualified in GATE as well without coaching. I didn't score a great rank but just qualified. I went for CAT coaching and that was a complete unexpected disaster, Thankfully. I think after that kind of effort at schhol, studying just became easy.

Would I put my kids in coaching classes?

I wouldn't because I'd be one hell of a teacher for them ;)

Also, this post is based on a conversation when me and my friend were discussing we should start a coaching class in case we don't graduate :P

Should I learn to cook?

"Sowmya you've become quite a big girl now, its about time you learnt how to cook"

"What? She can't even make sambhar! *gasp*  under section infinity , the make-life-hell-for-college-girls-on-holiday clearly states that any Homo Sapien with XX chromosome in the DNA ought to be accomplished in 64 arts! * Kaliyug is surely coming  look* "

My Mind Voice: "Bet you can't write a prim's algorithm program on your own"
Actual voice: "I make Maggi" giving the I-can-live-on-instant-food-all-my-life look.

Seriously, cooking is SUCH a big debate if you're a girl. There are very few girls my age who are as ignorant about the kitchen as I am.

For example, this is a conversation I had with a guy at my house when I was twelve.

Friend: "I hear something sizzling in the kadai"
Me: (Head bent over congruence in triangles) "Maybe popcorn?"
Friend: (stares at complete disbelief much to my blissful ignorance) "Don't you know the difference between a pop and a sizzle?"
Me: "Of course I do. I wasn't paying attention."
Friend: "You said dinner was idly right? I think aunty's making chutney."
Me: "I thought you make chutney with a mixie"
Soon enough that rickety deafening mixie started whirring planting a smug cheshire cat smile on my face. Promptly we came literally to blows about whether or not a kadai is used in making a chutney.

In case there exists a soul who did not predict the ending, I just got mightily jolted by the nattamai (panchayat head) - my mom, that you do, indeed use the kadai.

I  usually just sing my own sweet tune. My mom learnt how to cook only at 21 and I still have two years to go AND she's such an amazing cook that I'm not really convinced I need to learn. However, nowadays the nudges have certainly increased. And my fair Libran twin (And you thought only Gemini had a twin, right?) started badgering my mind to reconsider my stance and strive for that perfect balance.

This dialogue is priceless. If you haven't heard it as a girl, I will be very very surprised. "There is just one thing I want to say - whether you are a boy or a girl, you ought to learn to cook".

I simply don't buy the argument. For one thing, the only times I've seen guys being made to learn to cook is if they are vegetarian and are leaving abroad. Or if they are non-vegetarian with the no-pork no-beef issues and going abroad. I see absolutely no problem with learning how to cook much later.

While I let the steam cool, I've been hinting that I wanted to actually give the other side a ear. After all,


எப்பொருள் யார்யார்வாய்க் கேட்பினும் அப்பொருள்
மெய்ப்பொருள் காண்ப தறிவு.


Gist: Consider everyone's opinions for that nugget of wisdom hidden in it.


Fundamentally, the strong point gently pushing me forward on my culinary journey is the fact that I help my dear mother. One fine Thursday, when she was sick, I put leave, made Maggi for my dad, reminded him about the cellphone, put the geyser, took the milk and newspaper, sent the laundry for iron (You may think this is simple, but from a princess incapable of folding her clothes and woefully forgetful about making her own bed, this is a LOT!) . When he left for office, he was half-amused and half-proud. The best climax was when my mom came out at ten in the morning and said, "Wake up daddy for office".


I was so happy to let her rest and keep things smoothly running for my dad even if I had to miss college. (I unfortunately woke up at seven without my human alarm). My mom was also grateful to have me at home to run little errands. But something kept making me feel guilty. As she wasn't well, she couldn't possibly have Maggi. So she had to get up and make idly for herself. I would have gladly liked to do that for her. This wouldn't have happened if I knew how to cook.


Another reason is, there is one thing, above all, that I cherish. And that is independence. As a woman, independence is a treasure. A treasure guarded by the dragons of self-esteem and skill. And however I twist my kaleidoscope of ideas, cooking is a fundamental portion of the fodder to those dragons.

Well all said and done, next star pupil is going to be the kitchen king. Or queen. I'd be asked to demonstrate my cooking! At every relative's house as well. Because, of course once I learn it, I will be amazing at it. After all, anyone can cook.

That's very right, I just sink to the floor in front of anybody, let alone cook something for someone. Oh dear! 

So we'll dump this silly little thought thread and continue with our work?

No, I don't think so. Come on, I never thought you'd be chicken. So what if I make a fool of myself? I'd rather be helpful and stupid than perfect and dumb. And I think, I would have taken this decision even if I were a boy.

Oh how I hate it when you are right. It would have been so much cooler if I had been a boy and learnt to cook?

That can't be helped. Don't you remember you wouldn't admit to yourself that you actually adored pink but would never buy pink. Just because of your feminism.

Yup. Then we decided true feminism is doing what your heart wants with mental consent and being brave enough to be true to it.

Precisely.

But am not really sure if that's what I want to do. Hmph. I hate being so nice and doing the right thing. 

I'm proud of you.

You seem to have happily made the decision for me. I still don't think it's that necessary. After all mom falling ill is such a rare occurrence.

 I've had it. Here's the verdict.

Verdict: 

I will learn to cook.

But only idly, sambhar,chutney,rice and rasam. No more. No less. Its enough to keep me and any sick person happy for now.


Oh and by the way, I've realised that this has given me a new weapon against those mokkai keep-women-in-their-place sort of people.

Should I wear glasses?

I've been wearing spectacles since I was in seventh regularly and for a short stint in fifth. Ever since I can remember, I used to tell my parents, “One of the first things I'm going to do when I turn eighteen is get contact lenses”.

Long story short, inspite of my mom's ritual force feeding of carrots, my eyes are regularly strained and both my eyes require different powered lenses. Plus, it doesn't help that whenever I fell ill when I was young (which was quite often), I'd curl up with a book and read at a stretch.

Well, I'm a year older than that VERY sought after age and yet I'm still wearing Bayonetta style spectacles. My mom keeps mentioning how we should to get it but I seem to just shy away from the discussion.

Have I actually started liking wearing glasses?

Glasses are cumbersome. Not only do I have an abnormally large number of accidents with my glasses on, I seem to lose them so often and the worst part is I wouldn't even remember removing them in the first place. The amount of time spent on my searching in house for my elusive spectacles have become family lore. They fog up when you drink something hot. They annoy me every morning when the AC clouds them and I clamber blindly onto my bus. Also, they're hopeless in torrential rains. Wish I could say Impervious like Hermione did to Harry's glasses in the third book during the Quidditch match.

On the other hand, they now seem to define my personality. A sort of no-nonsense approach and it seems to enhance my dignity. A proper set of glasses like the one I own now and not the despicably crooked ones I had to wear sometimes. Besides, it portrays a sense of intelligence and wisdom that I enjoy.

“Everyone doesn't want to look like a nerd and you WANT to look like one???”

My friend is not known for tact.

“Sowmya, please think of such unthinkable logic and save the family money”

My very down-to-earth dad of course.

The verdict: These glasses are here to stay my amigo!