An Eye-Opener - Issued in Academic Interest

NOT paying attention in class is injurious to your MARKS and eventual EMPLOYMENT!!

I will always remember the shock I got when I reluctantly opened my eyes to see why an otherwise very noisy class had suddenly gone silent. The first thing my sleep hazy eyes encountered was my teacher’s fist – on my table (on my open book to be precise)... gasp! Caught asleep, now I knew – they were waiting for my death sentence, the sadistic idiots! My mouth was dry and I quickly rubbed the heels of my palms into my eyes. The silence stretched on. I slowly raised my eyes to see my teacher as my mind grappled at vague reasons for my misdemeanour.

“You will lose attendance for the next three consecutive classes and I expect you to get a note from the Principal if you want to attend the fourth one...” I finally made myself look at my teacher to say that I was sorry and almost got a heart attack......! Standing right in front of me, hand on my book, my teacher was yelling at my next friend.....who it turned out was also fast asleep sitting beside me!

One of the most predominant memories of school life has got to be – sleeping in class. Those who have succumbed to its potency will testify to its overwhelmingly intoxicating powers. Veterans at the game will gravely tell you, NOTHING can harness it. Some common ones are drinking coffee, occupying the last bench and mute chatting. Some more are:

1) Concentrate: Stay interested in the subject or some other object. Try looking at your nose with both eyes. After a while it will give you a mild headache that might wake you enough to survive the class.

2) Write: Writing down points makes sense until your handwriting starts resembling the course of a dying river. Or write chits. Messaging is a lot of noise, even in vibrate mode and trying to pass chits will keep more people awake – your good deed for the day!!

3) Squiggle: Scribble and draw. Your latent talents might surface – fashion designing, senseless limericks, translate songs – one language to another word for word...!

4) Games to play – Hangman, X’s and 0’s, pick an actor and see how many of his movies you remember, or invent new classroom games! Outline your hand onto a page and design mehendi on it.

5) Chew gum: Don’t chomp like a cow, though. You look gross doing so and the sound can’t be missed. Some classmates stay awake eating out of a lunch box. The rest are awakened by the delicious smell and the resultant rumbling stomachs!

6) Pinch yourself or slap your face: Move a bit – helps blood circulation and might wake you as well. Sit up straight. Shake your legs. Break your knuckles. Rotate your neck.

IMPORTANT: No matter which eye-opener you use – make sure you nod at the teacher at regular intervals! Look – PHSICALLY PRESENT EVEN IF YOU ARE MENTALLY ABSENT!

Come to think of it – That friend was always the one who used to listen in class while I was upto some or the other mischief.