The back benches, epicenters of all the notoriety inside the temple of education, home to all the hooligans, rebels and low graders. The rear end of the classroom was the infamous source of everything creative and chaotic which came out of those brick walls,  other than what the books wanted to teach.

The back benchers, a group typical to everyone classroom, every teachers nightmare, well deserving recipients of abuses and beatings on behalf of the entire class. Born with the courage to initiate chaos and the resilience to withstand consequences along with the stubbornness to go at it again.

Notoriety breeds creativity. Challenging the established order is essential in creating anything new, so  the same back benchers who devised ways of troubling their teachers on a daily basis made their way into creative jobs and businesses while the rest of the class settled for stabler things.

Diamonds or Devils 

Being a part of both the front and the rear, the controlled and the chaotic, the dedicated and the devious I got a first hand experience into both sides of life.

Often regarded as devils the back benchers were unique in their ability to find new ways of mischief, most of which was harmless when we look back and see the bigger picture.

As institutions go overboard in their attempts to instill discipline in a typically wild race, schedules and classes sap the originality out of students making them into identical result chasing machines. Amidst this machine production the back benchers displayed the brilliant spark which challenged authorities and broke rules.

At times they did go overboard with their tricks, but as compared to the other robots who wore spectacles and complied to everything the teacher demanded, they were the saviors of the original human spirit.

Misrepresented as devils to keep the class in check they were not just another brick in the wall, they were diamonds, unwilling to dull down under the growing pressure of a result based system, where rats, elephants and leopards ran on a common treadmill and were judged on the base of their speed.

Scribbles on the back bench

Uniqueness rules over grades I never wanted to march this common parade,

When the journey gets mundane, its my reckless deeds that make the save,

Not meant to be instructed, they assume that I am destructive,

If education is meant to crush original thought, then I don’t think this is worth it.

Just cause I think out of the books I am labelled a rebel,

Punished,ridiculed and amused because the conformist norms I repel.

I am the self proclaimed vet for those teachers pets,

Who might end up as the best slaves but never bosses I bet.

Cuz you have limits to your happiness,100 is all that you all can score,

For me joy is not bounded in numbers, I will scrape through but enjoy much more.

What makes me unique is the risks I take while others hesitate,

While teachers try to regulate, I outshine the puppets and illuminate,

So for all the haters who try to sabotage my imagination,

I will never stop living life with pre-defined limitations.

I was put here before I had a choice,

The least I deserve is to have my own voice.

So i wont care if the number mute followers is more and our number is mall,

I will never live my life like just another brick in the wall.

 

T