Exam Mein Kabhi Kabhi

Usually people think that teaching is boring job, and I had a similar viewpoint until I started teaching in 2008! LONG TIME

Anyhow, it’s not that boring at all. As a teacher to get to interact with youngsters who are so much different from you and many a time learn a lot from them. As far as the interaction part is concerned, I have always loved talking to people and interaction with students is really good. When I was working with a University in Punjab, the interaction was very different from what it is here, in a university located in NCR. But then the student – teacher relationship has changed and so has the interaction. I have been a witness to that change as a student when my teachers started giving that friendly vibes and I could go to them for all sorts of discussions on a career choice to a new found love interest.

While studying in MJMC, I was approached by my HOD to do her favor and teach my super juniors two subjects whose faculty had gone for a long leave. One was film studies and the other was Public Relations! I was more than happy that she trusted my knowledge so much and I was extremely grateful when I was told that I would be paid for it. True story! (No worries HIMYM is over but you will see, view, read and few may write phrases we all loved)

I had great beginning, and made great friends with all my students actually my juniors and they still have place in my Facebook account. :P

Teaching is one thing and invigilation is another. Yeah! It all started in January 2009 and goes on and on. In my first invigilation duty I was so surprised that I called my momsy and kept on chattering about students’ faces in examination for one and half hour. Yes, my mother has lot of patience.

And these days since examinations are on and I have like 6 hour invigilation duty per day, I have made few observations and would like share them with my readers. (thoda formal ho gaya. I hope you are still interested to read further! Never mind)

There are around 20 different categories of students, you can see in an examination hall. Let’s begin…

As soon as a faculty distributes the answer books the first category is of students can be identified, they are the ones who have not brought their own writing supplies and keep on asking for it from nearby student or sometimes the faculty as well.

After distribution of question papers, the second type is visible, the questioning type, who start turning around and asking for word meaning and definitions from their class mates.

Once they are all settled and writing the paper and the faculty is done with the major task of starting an exam, other categories starting surfacing.

The most interesting one is of ‘Head banging’ students. They are music lovers I don’t know, they are trying to move their head and think I can’t say or probably trying to keep their cool after realizing that they don’t remember a word said in class by the teacher or can’t recall what their friend told them just before entering the examination hall.

 The most boring ones are who keep on chewing gum all the while they write their exam! I can’t stand looking at them and shout at them to go outside and spit it.

Then there are ones who keep looking around and smile at everyone and anyone. They are not cute but they try to seem so by smiling fake smiles!

Another set of students are there in an exam hall who can be called as time checkers, since they keep a keen eye on their watch or the wall clock as if waiting for the clock to tick for half time they can go or pay a visit to the washroom. Some of them run out to class after signing the movement sheet. It’s funny to see them do that run!

Every examination hall has four to six thinking pots. They keep on looking at the fans posing as if they are thinking. They keep on staring at the floor as if they are thinking. They keep observing hair and back of the student sitting in front of them as if they are thinking. (The pun intended.)

Then there are students who keep on playing with their hair, most of the times these students are girls but that doesn’t mean boys are any less. I guess after this Tattad tattad song boys have got some special affection towards their hair falling back on their necks and doing various versions of the original move. :D

With the image of Ranveer Singh flashing in my mind, I recall the category of students, who doing nothing but gaze at the beautiful girl or the good looking guy who sits in their room.

There’s another related category that knows either the beautiful or the good looking and try to impress them by trying telling them answers. Even if they get zero success they are able to impress I guess. But seriously what a cheap and unethical way to impress the opposite sex, I would actually like to know if this act of theirs was fruitful ever…ever!

(Share your story sonam.mahajan524@gmail.com)

Fairy tales had sleeping beauties and modern examination centers have sleeping students, who start the exam with wide yawn and after an hour or so they sleep. Since I am all bored and have nothing much to do, I call out, “XYZ, Are you sleeping?” Sometimes they thank me for waking them, and sometimes they stare at me with questioning eyes. Either asking, why hell do you know my name? or why are you so loud?

This category has been fascinating me, CRAMMERS! They mug up the entire syllabus or the notes or whatever they have and while writing in exam they repeat the whole thing after writing each sentence. (Word by word) This category is more prevalent in first year students but nonetheless.  If you ask them to repeat in their heart, they nod and continue what they were doing. :/

I find them amusing, these are the students who bring color box with them literally crayons or pencil colors and even sketch pens! They are suppose to write a media paper with obvious zero usage of color but they bring in decorate their answers. Dear students, you can highlight the key terms with a pencil. Why you need neon orange?

Some students take their photography class too seriously and try zooming in and zooming out for peeking at other student’s answer sheet. Their success rate is almost zero but they can’t stop trying.

This category is new to me, as in I had not seen something like this happening earlier. Neither when I was student (but then I was hardly paying attention to this detail), nor when I working in the previous university. The show stoppers are the one who remove all their accessories and jewelry while they write their exam and believe it or not there’s pile of things lying on the left side of their table. It usually includes a watch, rings, bracelet or a bangle, bands, sunglasses, wallet, card holders, cap, hair pins, hair bands and the like. With the category your good ten to fifteen minutes can pass.

Then there are students who have come to write an exam, the good types who start writing as soon as you hand over the answer booklet to the end of the three hour duration. And the best part is that if it’s an easy paper, they complete early and leave.

Finally we talk about the bad ones too, who had a plan to cheat and write the exam. The category is named as trouble makers, who keep on moving their head all around and keep murmuring all the time which not just angers the faculty but also disturbs all others who are writing the exam.

P.S: There’s category for social media influencers, who send friend request on Facebook on the very day you invigilated in their class, start to follow on twitter as well.