Discriminated!. Review on Podar High School

I was forced to join this school when I had just arrived from the USA. We moved back from there because we faced a lot of racism. This was way back in 1992-93. This school had just begun its first year and were accepting students pretty easily. The education system is very slow in the US, so slow that I was just mastering my additions, multiplication, subtraction and I join this school from the 5th grade and everyone already knows algebra! Ok, not the schools fault but the Indian education. We move fast!

My first class teacher was then the only marathi teacher of that school. We had just one since I joined the ICSE section which had marathi up till the 7th grade (thank god for that). I had to begin from scratch. All summer I took hindi and marathi classes just trying to learn how to write. Understanding the language was going to be a very long process! Altho within 2 years I picked up hindi, marathi to date, I still can't speak or understand!

My first day at school turned out to be a bummer. Here is this boy that has no clue about how bombay and its kids work plus this boy has an american accent which kids at that age could not understand what I was saying half the time. Many a time normal words were mistaken for abusive language and I was always thrown out of class. Somehow the teachers always took pride in picking on me and I would always notice the accomplished smile on their faces. I was offered no help by any of the teachers and the students of that school created an impression of me being the school bad guy. If anyone would abuse - fingers pointed at me. If a PEN was stolen - fingers pointed at me.

Of course the inevitable had to happen. I somehow managed to get through my 5th grade continued on to 6th and plugged that year. I was horrified. I knew I was not going to fare well but I didnt expect not to pass! Well, all I can say was I gave it my best but the pressure on a 11 year old is just too much adding on to classmates picking on you and no support from any teachers. Had I been as mature as I am now, It wouldn't have even mattered that my much needed attention was not seen. Now repeating the 6th grade was even worse. The whole school knew who I was for being an 'American boy who only knew how to abuse'. My seniors knew who I was and so did a bunch of juniors. The news spread like wild fire. People actually came down from the floor above to see if it was really true - If I was REALLY repeating my 6th and sitting in the same class for that year. That was one of my most terrible days. Lucky for me though, I had company. Another boy from the US but was in the next class. We had alot to share and we both faced the same problems, COPING UP!

Teachers that year gave me an even tougher time. Some of them even (who I wont name) even asked me to leave school and go back to where I came from because I am not considered Indian if I can't speak Hindi. At the point and age I didn't know if this was wrong on my teachers part to say that to me and I thought it was true. One fine day while I was coming back from school in my school bus where I was ragged alot buy a bunch of guys and 2 girls - I stood up for myself! Walked up to both of those girls - slapped them across the face and then ran to the back of the bus, caught a few seniors and punched them each on the face. Since that day nobody said a word to me, not even dared to tease me. None of them even complained to any of the teachers about the incident. So from being the boy who everyone could pick on - I then became the school bully. It was fun. I didn't have to even do much., kids kept their distance from me and I made some friends who were big! ;)

All in all this school taught me alot of how bombay children grow up here. There is a complete lack of maturity because by the time I was in the 8th grade, alot of the kids were the way I was when I had first joined. You know, sharing the 'non-veg' jokes and making fun of teachers, cutting class. All these things were what I used to do when I was in the 5th! These kids finally GREW UP and well all I could do was laugh! As for the teachers there, what goes around, comes around 3 times harder. Best of luck to you all :D