As adults, we grapple with decisions revolving around our careers, investments, and savings but when we were kids, one of the most important things to figure out was which seat to pick in the classroom. Sometimes the decision was based on where the windows were or where our friends sat but at other times, we weren’t given much choice as the teachers decided the seating arrangement.
Recently, novelist and writer Kiran Manral brought back all of those bittersweet memories with a tweet asking if we used to be frontbenchers or backbenchers?
What were you, backbencher or frontbencher?
— Kiran Manral (@KiranManral) July 19, 2020
Some people replied saying they always sat in the front and had full attendance while others said they were always hanging out in the last row eating or doodling. Of course, there were also those who preferred middle rows claiming they were the best of both worlds and students who had a rotational arrangement. A few also mentioned how they were standing outside the class as punishment or in the canteen to gorge on samosas.
Backbencher, under the bench tiffin eater, comic reader, note writer and passer, crawling out of the class door when the teachers back was turned err.
— Kaveri 🇮🇳 (@ikaveri) July 19, 2020
Middle.
One ear paid attention to the teacher, the other one focussed on the party going on in the last two rows.
— Divya Rai (@raidivya27) July 19, 2020
One of my friend was a front bencher, he was studios fellow and he is an engineer now..
I was a last bencher, not interested in studying and still I am an engineer now.😆😆 pic.twitter.com/OLAwKk9CjJ— Danish-Ibn-Gulam (@shkdan34) July 20, 2020
Front. Always. 100% attendance.
— Angellica Aribam (@AngellicAribam) July 19, 2020
We had a rotation system so that everyone got a "chance" to sit in front.
Each week the whole bench would shift rows.
🤣 So we had no choice ( smart nuns!)— #Wearamask 😷Stay safe. (@SupriyaUnniNair) July 19, 2020
Always a backbencher in school and college. Always doodling in my notebooks. Always unable to pay attention for long hours at a stretch. (A front bencher now that I’m working, strangely).
— Siddharth Singh (@siddharth3) July 19, 2020
I always use to sit in the middle of the class with my group. You will have the most fun by sitting at that place. You can have a look at most of your friends can indulge in both front and back bencher. I wonder why nobody talks about it. It's damm underrated.
— Aditya Saha (@adityakumar480) July 19, 2020
Depends on what class it was. Sometimes I liked being a front bencher & sometimes last 😊 depending on my interest in the subject & the teacher
— Dog Mother ♌ (@Sritika_) July 20, 2020
In the canteen waiting for samosas to finish frying so I get them hot hot before the rest of the school gets there
— out of context aditi mittal (@awryaditi) July 20, 2020
Front always, always super attentive & full of questions.
— گریش Girish Mallya (@girishmallya) July 20, 2020
I used to start my day as a backbencher but often made to sit at front desk by teachers.
Backbencher by choice, front bencher by force.— Mohit Sharma (@Matsharma) July 19, 2020
Depends on the teacher..in good teachers lectures i was front..in pakao teachers lacture i was back bencher.
— Mirza Sauban (@sauban_mirza) July 20, 2020
Neither a front nor a back i attend most of my classes standing outside the classroom.😆😆😆😆😂
— rohit kumar (@rohitlohat) July 19, 2020
Somewhere in between. Had access to tiffins from backbenchers and notes from front benchers equally. 😊
— Karma (@hai_lage) July 20, 2020
Did you get to choose your own seating arrangement in school? Or was it determined by your height and where the teachers wanted you to sit?