“No matter how hard it gets, never lose your sense of wonder!” — Gon Freecss, Hunter × Hunter
Before Tuition Entered My Life
I didn’t need tuition until the 8th standard. When my marks started dropping, I told my parents that I wanted to join one. They preferred the same tuition center my cousin attended, but I didn’t want to go there because there were a lot of people, especially girls. At that time, I was not good at talking, and my communication skills were very low. In fact, I didn’t know how to talk to someone.
Instead, I told them about a tuition class near my house where my classmate Adharv was studying. I asked him about the teacher, and he gave positive feedback, which convinced me.
A Strange Coincidence
By coincidence, my father had taught her during her student days. He had also worked as a tuition teacher. Because of this connection, getting admission there meant that I was studying under one of my father’s former students.
The first week felt normal. Slowly, I began to understand her personality. She had a sharp memory and strong academic skills, but she lacked flexibility and a risk-taking mindset. There was a story my father had told me about her. During her plus one and plus two days, her mother used to call her teachers to talk to her and try to convince her to get some sleep because she studied even at night without sleeping. That was her dedication. But her teaching style was toxic, to be honest, though I didn’t know that at the time of joining.
And one more thing, I wasn’t deeply interested in computers. Martial arts fascinated me more. I was a simple, ordinary person, just going with the flow. Even though martial arts interested me, I knew I couldn’t pursue it seriously because of social and family pressure. My parents are both government employees, and there was an expectation that I should follow a similar path. In reality, I didn’t care much about that because I didn’t have big dreams at that time, but deep inside, I wanted to try doing something meaningful.
The Teaching Style That Changed Everything
After a few classes, her teaching style became clear. Memorisation was everything. If we failed to memorise and write the answers exactly, we were beaten with a stick. Now, you may think this is not a big deal for Indian students because our environment is often toxic, but for me, it was a complete nightmare at that time.
Some students received six to eight strikes in a row. It was extremely painful.
As time passed, I started getting beaten almost every day. I didn’t want to tell this to my parents because I felt ashamed. After a few months, I desperately wanted to leave, but there was no way out. She could be friendly sometimes, but inside the classroom, fear ruled everything.
Adharv’s Role and My Escape Attempts
Adharv plays an important role in this story, and his presence will matter later. Adharv was a cunning person. He acted like a good boy in front of my parents and the tuition teacher, but in reality, he was a bully and a nuisance. No one seemed to notice it. Even when I told the tuition teacher the truth and he told fake stories, she preferred his version, and sometimes I got scolded for telling what she thought were lies.
To survive mentally, I tried to make tuition more bearable. I convinced two of my friends to join by giving false promises. After experiencing her teaching methods, they left quickly. I did this just to have some fun, but it didn’t last long. Through this, I realised how toxic her environment truly was.
Lockdown and Unexpected Relief
Then came corona and the lockdown. Due to curfews, tuition classes stopped. For the first time in months, I felt relieved. But it was short-lived because of her commitment. She even started classes online using other methods.
It was my 10th standard. I was busy writing records. My tuition teacher surprisingly suggested listening to music while writing because there was too much work without any clear reason. I followed her advice.
This is where the story paused in the previous chapter. Now, we continue.
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