Students share their happy feelings on returning to school

November 16 was a remarkable day for school students in West Bengal as they went back to class after 20 months.

Six school students share their thoughts on returning to school:

Achal Sarker, Class XI, St. Xavier’s Institution, Panihati

The day began with one thought “where is my uniform?” From brushing my teeth to tying the shoelaces, I was in a constant rush. My mother wanted to know what I would like to take for school lunch but I could only think of how soon I could reach school and meet my friends and teachers. Everything seemed the same yet different. The teachers were welcoming as they had missed us, too. Chocolates were distributed among students as a welcome-back gift and belated Children’s Day celebration. Copying from the whiteboard, sneaking out of the classroom, falling asleep in the last period, I could relive all these moments that had become memories. To sum up the day, it was a good one, but also a tiring one.

Moupiya Bhattacharyya, Class XII, Humanities, Salt Lake Shiksha Niketan

I was excited from the night before. We had an examination on the first day, so I was a bit nervous too. Our school had made a sanitisation video to welcome us and assure us that we were safe. When I reached school, I met all my friends. We forgot about the exam and started chatting. Even though we had spoken to each other on messages and calls, it was truly an amazing feeling to be able to see my friends face to face. All these days I missed hanging out with friends and chatting with them during the free periods and recess. Slowly everything seemed like a normal school day. I am very happy to be back on campus. I want to enjoy it as much as possible since it is my final year in school.

Adrija Bhattacharjee, Class XII, Shri Shikshayatan School

It was nice to go back to school after so many days. We were able to meet our classmates and teachers. Face-to-face interaction creates a stronger bond and that is what we realised today. Strict COVID-safety rules were in place. Our teachers were particular about hand sanitising and wearing masks. Thermal screening was done before entering. All these things reminded us that it was the New Normal. But we were happy to be back as we have only a few days left of our school life.

Aarshi Ganguly, Class X, Delhi Public School Ruby Park

We had our mock test but we still managed to enjoy in between. We chatted to our hearts’ content since we were meeting in person after a long time. We had been waiting for this day and it felt good to be able to meet everyone in person again. We are very happy to be back. Our board exams are approaching and physical classes will be very useful at this point. Our school was strict about following COVID protocol. Our batch of 40 students has been split to ensure social distancing.

Pramit Basu, Class XI, Science, Assembly of God Church School, Park Street

Our school reopened a day after other schools. We friends were really excited to meet again in school in our uniforms. I missed having fun in the class in between classes and during the break. Everything is not normal yet, we know that well. But we hope to enjoy our final school years with all precautions.

Yubasana Kapas, Class XII, Gokhale Memorial Girls’ School

Getting back to school was extremely emotional for me. Since it is my last year, only a few months are left. I felt sad thinking that the good days will be over soon. All these days I missed participating in various school activities. I am very active in fests. With two years gone by, we could hardly participate in anything. I miss last-moment and after-school rehearsals. Now at least we will be going to school and spending some happy moments. I know we have all had a tough time during the pandemic but the reopening of schools gives us a ray of hope that everything is normalising finally.