CUE CARD: Rule in School

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Describe a school rule you did not like when you were in school.

Sample Answer:
Well, this topic reminds me of my school days when things were quite different than they are now. Things were magical, more colourful and in my mind everything was possible. I quite loved my school days and our teachers were very friendly. When some of my neighbours were worried about their kids in schools, my parents, on the contrary, were very contented about their son’s schooling.

I loved everything about my school except one thing – attending the cultural programmes arranged by the teachers and class captains on last Thursday of the month. It was mandatory to attend this event every month and I did not like it at all.

I mostly hated it because I thought that attending this event should have been optional, not mandatory. If I loved singing, dancing, debating or acting only then I would have felt attracted to such events and in my case, this was not true. I loved listening to music but when I had to sing, I simply loathed it. Same goes for dancing, debating, poem writing, acting in Shakespeare’s play and so on. In my timid and fragile mind, this was kind of torture. Though I feel differently these days about this rule and event and find it quite charming, it was not the case in my school days. Another reason I did not like the rule was that the power the class captains exercised during the event. To illustrate how they used their power I would like to tell you an event. One day I had a disagreement with my class captain and he threatened me that he will have his revenge soon. Two weeks later during the cultural programme, he selected me as a volunteer singer in a play without even notifying me. That was quite an embarrassing moment for me.

I think others mostly enjoyed this event and rule until they were called to attend the programme in front of the teachers and other students. Some of our classmates have passions in such events and they enjoyed participating and they felt that everybody should attend it. A few students were more attracted to sports and TV shows and they did not like it as far as I recall. I actually violated these rules quite a few times. Once my parents came to meet my math teacher and I went home with them and skipped this programme. In many other occasions, I tried to skip attending this programme and in some cases I was successful.

If you ask me whether this was a good rule or not, I would say, this was in fact, a good rule to introduce art, literature and cultural programs to the young students. I learned more about Shakespeare and his work through this programme than reading academic books. Thus it was a good initiative and a good rule as I understand now.

Follow ups
1. Should schools have rules?
Yes,schools should definitely have rules because rules help us in learning the difference between right and wrong.If there are no rules then everyone will do anything that they feel is right and this might create a lot of disturbance.As an example if students will not follow the rule of coming to school on time then it will become really difficult to manage the schedule of the classes.

2. Should schools decide how the working hours should be?
I think this a topic which is often debated.I believe it should be the joint responsibility of the schools and children welfare and development department of the government to decide the number of school hours because we should not burden the students with education and at the same time a minimum number of hours is also vital for their learning.

3. What kinds of rules do Indian families have?
It is an interesting question,normally the rules vary from family to family but if we have to generalize then most of the parents are strict about the fact that children should complete their homework every day.They also want their kids should not go outside late in night because they are concerned for their safety.

4. Do you think strict rules are needed in schools?
I don’t think schools should be a place where strict rules should be followed.Rules should be meant to teach children about discipline and other virtues.Having stricter rules might be detrimental to this cause and it could make children more rebellious instead.

5. Should students be involved in rule making?
Yes students should definitely be involved in rule making because it will make them feel more responsible and hence there will be less chances of them breaking the rules.