So finally, the board exam results are out! Most of us have passed the exams with flying colors. Some are happy, some are unsatisfied...But the wait is finally over! We all work hard for these exams, put all our blood, sweat, and tears into it. But the only difference is that some get it easy, they don't have other things to worry about...while some have to do it the hard way. I too was one of those people. I was in second grade when my mother was diagnosed with cancer, and my younger brother was just two. It had been a long battle since then. And here I was, finally entering Grade 10. My mother was very proud of us, and I too am very proud of the way she has raised the two of us. She had many dreams, hopes, and aspirations about us. She had always dreamt of seeing my board exam results and always encouraged me to do better.
It was soon October, and barely 3 and a half months before the examination, her condition got really terrible. She fought. She was the strongest woman I've ever seen. She was my superhero. But sometimes, even superheroes fail. And she lost the battle. This incident really broke my family and it was hard for my father and brother to deal with it. I soon realized I needed to be their pillar of support and tried to do everything my mother did. I obviously failed, because I had taken her for granted. My heart was only filled with regret. I was usually a very bright student but what happened next was just the opposite of what a teacher would expect from me. My preparatory exams had just begun and my mind was totally out of focus. I obviously flopped the exams. What could you expect from someone who started practicing the entire maths portion 2 days before the test? Then came the second preparatory exam, and I fared miserably in this too. It was already December end and I wasn't realizing the damage I had caused to myself. I can't thank my class teacher enough for what she did later. She called me out and said "No one's going to look at you or your situation in the board exam and understand what you are going through. It's all in your hands, you can do amazing in the exams or you can fail. And I understand it's not easy because of what's happened, but if not for yourself, do it for your mother. Do it for the things she dreamt about you. Do it for her happiness. I want the old you back. And I know you will do it." This somewhere hit me hard and it was like a wake-up call for me. I realized my teachers, parents, and friends had a lot of expectations from me. I was letting them down. I was letting myself down. The fact that now there were so many competitors around discouraged me a lot. But I took that as a challenge. January, February, and March, I studied like there was no tomorrow. I wrote exams every day. I hardly slept. Finally, the exams started, they were going amazing. Of course, we couldn't appear for the last few papers due to the Covid-19 outbreak, but that's alright. Today, its the 10th of July. The results are out. And I can proudly tell anyone and everyone that I have scored a 98%. And this wouldn't have been possible without my teachers. All of them played an integral role, and the support and guidance the provided me boosted my confidence. I can never thank each one of my teachers enough for this. In the end, I'd just want to say that there are ups and downs in everyone's life and it is absolutely alright to get distracted due to it. But you need to come back on track at the right moment. You need to seize the day!
Sneha Upadhyay,
Grade XI,
St. Paul's English School.
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