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one point, Naveen felt choked, for he remembered his maths teacher, the very lovableman he had left behind, and he blinked away the tears which had welled up. He wonderedwhat the new man would be like. The next test was Hindi which he could not do so well.They asked him several questions in grammar and although he knew the language wellenough to compose poems in it, he could not make anything of what the grammarianssaid about the language. “These grown-ups have a way of complicating simple things,”he thought. Then followed an English test about which he was extremely diffident, for hehad been told he would have to compete with boys who were very good in the subject asthey came from important towns. In fact, after great effort he had learnt by heart a longpoem by a man called Longfellow, but when he was asked to recite it, the words wouldnot flow. The English teacher seemed to have a certain steely look about him that took allthe courage out of him. After this experience he muddled up even his essay on, ‘How Ispent my summer holidays’. He could not remember having had a holiday, leave alonespending it, for he had spent the time preparing for these tests! His parents and relativeshad been after him to make the grade — all of them — father, mother, uncle and cousin.When the results were announced Naveen did not go to school. Father did not either,nor mother. His cousin went and carne back triumphantly waving his hands. Naveen hadbeen admitted although his name was last on the list. “So Mr. X has managed theadmission. Good”, said father. Naveen was again offended, for he was sure that he hadsecured his admission only because he had done well in the tests.That night, Naveen went to bed rather dejected. He had loved his old school. It was ina ramshackle building with very little drinking water and the classrooms were dingy, buthis headmaster loved him and his maths teacher was kind. They used to play a lot ofimprovised games morning and evening, as there were no hockey sticks or properplaygrounds. The new school was different. It had an imposing building and it was neatand clean and boys from “good’ homes attended it. But Naveen wondered what thepeople inside were like. That night he dreamed of a large bird carrying away a frightenedboy, read to drop him into a strange land. It is so true, isn’t it, that it is the warmth of thepeople that makes you feel at home in a place? Buildings are important and goodfurniture, of course. If, in addition, there are large grounds and a sense of space and ifthere are beautiful trees and flowers, a school would be a most welcome place to go to.But most important of all are the feelings of the people inside and this Naveen found outquite soon.Have you faced any difficulties in new situations? What is your idea of a good school?What are some things that grownups around you say or do that you do not understand?Think upon these things and discuss them in class.2. Home and Its InfluenceSome children are naturally very helpful. They do not at all have to be told to help.That was so with Ayesha. The moment she saw any teacher, her own, or anyone elsewalking down the corridor with a pile of books, she would run up and offer to carry them.She would notice the state of the black-board before a teacher came in and she wouldwipe it clean and keep a chalk-piece and duster ready. If the mali was seen carrying twopots of water she would offer to take one and start watering the plants. It all came verynaturally to her — picking up a stone on the road, putting away waste paper in the