My daughter is currently in 12th grade, preparing for her board exams. Since I skipped 12th grade myself (Read more), this has been a new and learning experience for me, observing how her school and coaching academy are preparing students to face the exams.
After she finished 10th grade (with 99+ %) , we began searching for a good school for her 11th and 12th grades. Many wondered how she got 99%+ marks and few asked how comes she missed 1%. The school near our home had an interesting selection of subjects to choose from: the usual PCM (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics) along with optional subjects like Biology, Computer Science, AI, or Design. We decided that Design would be a good option for her, as we felt that the responsibilities of becoming a doctor were too demanding. I want my children to be self-reliant, to be able to survive on their own, and to offer services or products to the world.
The school offered two modes: the normal mode and the integrated mode. In the normal mode, the school’s teachers would handle the core subjects. In the integrated mode, teachers from a coaching academy (many of whom were IIT graduates) would teach the core subjects, preparing students for exams like JEE, NEET, and other competitive entrance tests. My daughter had to pass an entrance exam to qualify for the integrated coaching academy.
I strongly believe in maintaining a work-life balance and having peace of mind when we go to bed. When life throws stress at me like Dale Steyn’s fast bowling, I defend myself like Rahul Dravid, staying calm and blocking the stress. The faster the stress, the stronger my defense becomes. I also prioritize having control over my time rather than letting money dictate it.
On orientation day, the founder of the coaching academy and all the teachers passionately introduced the subjects and explained how students should prepare and how much time they should invest in their studies. The founder even encouraged the habit of studying late into the night, sometimes even past midnight. I turned to my wife in slow motion, exchanging a look that said, Are we making the right decision? But having already paid an amount equivalent to the annual salary of a software engineer as fees for both the school and the coaching academy, we didn’t have much of a choice but to go along with it!
How did my daughter take on this challenge? How did her friends either help or distract her focus? That’s what I’ll be sharing in Part 2 of this topic. Stay tuned!
