When Schools Stopped Feeling Like Schools

Let's think about school for a moment. When you picture a school, what do you think of?

You may think about blackboards, school uniforms, lunchtime for children, or perhaps childhood memories. Somewhere along the walls of discipline and routine, we forgot about what schools were originally intended to be.

They were intended to be temples of learning. Spaces where children's curiosity could grow and thrive. Environments where the child learnt not just who they were, but in time, exactly how to determine that they were not just memorizing things, rather recreating ideas.

But in today’s world, schools run more on gadgets than on good teaching. Technology has taken over so much that schools don’t feel like schools anymore.



So many facilities, but no more feeling

The walls are brighter, yes. The floors shine more. Every classroom possesses air conditioners, and smart boards have replaced dusty green chalkboards. On the surface, it’s an upgrade. But for those of us who remember what school used to be, something crucial has been lost.

I’m not against improvement. AC classrooms are good in hot cities. Smart boards can make learning more interactive. But these are tools, not solutions.

In our time, we made birthday cards with colored paper, played cricket with broken bats, and created science models from junk. Now, students are given everything readymade. Art is printed. Projects are outsourced. Creativity is getting replaced by convenience.



Where Did the Ground Go?


In my school days, we looked forward to “Games Period” like a festival. It was the one hour that made sitting through Math and Social Studies worth it. Even if it was once a week, it gave us space to breathe, to run, to be silly. Today, Ground periods barely exist. Either they're cut short or replaced by “extra academic sessions” because “students must not fall behind.” But falling behind in what? The rat race?

Students sit for 6 to 8 hours straight, switching between one subject to another without even a walk in between.

Ask any student today what their biggest stress is. The answer will rarely be “understanding a topic.” Instead, it’s about scoring high, cracking the entrance, or not disappointing their parents.



When Learning Becomes a Race


Think about it: When a student scores 98%, the question is, “Why not 100?”

When someone fails, they’re made to feel like failures in life.

We’ve replaced curiosity with comparison. Instead of asking, “What excites you?” We ask, “What will give you a stable career?”

There was a girl in my class who was naturally good at drawing and loved participating in school exhibitions and competitions. But when we reached higher classes, she suddenly stopped. I later found out her parents had told her to focus only on science and maths, because ‘that’s what serious students do.’ She would still sketch in the corners of her notebooks, but not with the same spark. In school, these things often go unnoticed — a student slowly letting go of what they love because of expectations. No teacher asked her why she had stopped drawing. No one even seemed to notice. That’s when I realized how school sometimes becomes a place where marks matter more than talent."



The Market Called Education


Let’s be honest— schools have become brands.

Big buildings, air- conditioned classrooms, fancy meals at the canteen, and smart uniforms… everything looks perfect from the outside. Some schools even advertise like they’re selling a luxury hotel. But with every new facility, the fees go up. For many middle-class families, it’s getting harder to afford even basic education. Some parents end up taking loans or cutting down on other dreams just to send their kids to a good school.

And in all this show and competition, true learning is being lost. Schools are more interested in looking better than other schools—more about name and status, and less about heart-based learning. The simple joy of learning, the relationship between teachers and students, and the tiny moments that create good values are being diminished.

Nostalgia Has No Address Anymore


A few months ago, I went back to my school.

I was excited. I expected a wave of memories. I wanted to see the same tree we sat under, the old bench where we carved our initials, and the library smell that made me feel calm.


But, unfortunately, the tree had been cut. The benches were replaced with corporate-style furniture. The library turned into a “Learning Resource Centre” that looked like an airport lounge. It was hard to feel anything.

I walked around, but nothing felt familiar. No nostalgia. Just disappointment.

How can something so close to your heart change so much?



Final Bell


This blog isn’t a rant. It’s a quiet wake-up call.

To schools, parents, teachers, and even students.

I’m not writing this because I hate change. I’m writing this because I miss the meaning.
Schools were never meant to just produce toppers.

They were meant to create thinkers, problem-solvers, creators, and kind human beings.

School was about that one strict teacher whose words stayed with you for life. It was about the scoldings that shaped you, the sports periods that taught teamwork, and the small failures that made you stronger.

But today, if we turn schools into machines that only chase marks, we’ll raise kids who may know how to score—but not how to live.

But the reality is, this world doesn't require more rank-holders. It needs people who can think creatively, feel deeply, and act compassionately. People who don’t just know the answers, but also know how to ask the right questions.

And the good part is….It’s possible. But only if we pause and rethink.



Dear school,

You were never perfect. But you were real.
Now, you look perfect, but feel empty.
I still miss those morning assemblies… the leaking water bottles in our school bags… and the sound of friends shouting “OUTTTT!” during a cricket match.