My experiences in Class IX [COVID-19 lockdown]

I will begin with my own quote, " If you add 'I' after 'VI' you will get 'VII', if you add 'I' after 'VII' you will get 'VIII', but if you again add 'I' after 'VIII' you won't get 'IX'". When I was reading in Classes V - VIII, I had to follow a peculiar system of Learning - popularly known as "Rote Learning". In this form of learning we were told the questions that may come in the exam and all we had to do was memorize them [excluding subjects like science and maths]. We would be satisfied by the marks we get and would bother little about our life longing knowledge. The covid-19 lockdown has perhaps turned the tide. To be more specific, Covid-19 lockdown does not deserve the entire credit for it, a part of it is also shared by pre-board preparation. Accounting for the less number of chapters, the Class IX syllabus may seem to be easier but the uncertainty in questions makes things hard. Especially for students like me who don't know how to exaggerate their words, Class IX becomes harder. I started my Class IX journey by sorting out this problem first. I must say that it was not a cake walk. At the very beginning all the subject teachers made us aware regarding the uncertainty of questions. I knew I had to focus on in depth learning without compromising on Olympiads. Managing only the first might be easy but managing both makes things harder. The basic requirements are sheer determination, unwavering desire to succeed, sacrifice, and smart work. I accepted the challenge. First I targeted the literature section. Instead of memorizing any question, I decided to read the entire chapter thoroughly again and again until the image of each page gets stored in my brain. The problem of literature can be solved only by reading more and more literature. This made me learn how to express and exaggerate my words. I would say that never stop increasing your vocabulary because they play an enormous role in reducing your study stress. In Social Science, making short notes, remembering the chapter in the form of a story and relating it with my own surroundings helped me a lot. I would highly value Sir Richard Feynman's learning methodology according to which the best way to learn something is to teach it to someone. I had my father as my learning companion. Whenever I learn something new (especially in science), I explained it to my father. With this I could recognize my faults in explanation and would continue improving myself.  These methodologies really work because using it you can not only top in exams but also develop in yourself the values enshrined in the text. Climbing up the ladder the next step to be crossed is proper time management. This little object alone has the ability to make you follow the right track. A line of the poem "If" by Rudyward Kipling reminds me of its importance "If you can fill the unforgiving minute / With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run". A focused approach with proper planning is very essential. I made a time table and tried my best to follow it. For the Olympiads, you have to go beyond the book and acquire more knowledge. It is not a difficult task provided you have proper time management and the urge to be successful. These had a good yield. Instead of running a 100 meter race on the last day of the rat race exam, I learnt to run a marathon from the 1st day of the session and gave myself a little freedom from stress. But there are some scenarios in which I have failed. Sitting inside the four walls, I became a zombie whose world revolves around books, with no room for development as human beings. I felt like these non living things(books) spoke to me the very first day they were bought, " Shubhajeet, you are under 'arrest'". I was 'locked up' by them and somehow felt that I was losing my closer ones. This made me a stranger in my own land. I have missed human interaction in the learning environment and now I even have a doubt whether what I have learnt by self-study will be life longer or not. I hope that the 'Biological World War' will end soon and the situation will recover.