Wearing the jerseys of favourite teams to school. Making flags in classroom art sessions. Watching World Cup highlights during lunch breaks.
The FIFA World Cup has swept through classrooms across the city, with football fever gripping students from kindergarten to senior classes.
Conversations revolve around Lionel Messi’s hat-trick, Cristiano Ronaldo’s trademark Siuuu celebration, goalkeeper Vozhina’s stunning saves, Germany’s early exit and Japan’s spirited run against Brazil.
Schools, too, are tapping into the excitement, using the tournament as a learning opportunity while relaxing a few rules to keep students engaged.
At Modern High School for Girls, students of Classes III to V will turn up on Tuesday wearing either the jersey or the colours of the team they are backing in the 23rd edition of the quadrennial men’s football World Cup, being jointly hosted by Canada, Mexico and the US.
“Students who have their team’s jersey will wear it, while those who don’t will come dressed in their team’s colours. It encourages greater involvement and lets them express their support beyond just talking about the tournament,” said Aban Confectioner, head of the junior school at Modern High School for Girls.
The World Cup activities started as soon as the children came back from the summer vacation, she said.
“The World Cup is a great learning opportunity at various levels. Before June, how many adults knew about Cape Verde?” said Devi Kar, director of Modern High School for Girls.
Cape Verde, an archipelago off the West African coast with a population of fewer than six lakh, is the third smallest nation by population — after Curaçao and Iceland — to have qualified for a FIFA World Cup.
At some of Calcutta’s schools, discussions go beyond Cape Verde’s fairytale World Cup run and its spirited fight against Argentina, where it lost 3-2 after extra time in the Round of 32. Students are also learning more about the island nation.
The teachers at Modern High School have been quizzing the girls: Name the captain of the country where the Thames is a river?
There are moments of disappointment, too. A Class IV student who supports Portugal was assigned to make the flag of Uzbekistan — the very team Portugal thrashed 5-0 in the World Cup.
Modern High School will put up a prediction board where students can pick the eventual champions and wait until July 19 to see who lifts the World Cup.
At Mahadevi Birla World Academy, geography lessons have become more relatable, said vice-principal Nupur Ghosh.
“Students from Class III begin learning geography with an atlas. The World Cup has given them an added incentive to locate their favourite teams on the world map,” said Ghosh.
The World Cup is being woven into the everyday teaching-learning process.
“As we move into the quarter-finals, the excitement will only grow. We know the students are following the matches, so we have asked teachers to connect their lessons to the tournament wherever possible,” said Ghosh.
For instance, students can research the history of the World Cup, learn about the national birds and animals of participating countries in science classes, or explore their culture and music, she said.
With matches in the FIFA World Cup, hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico, stretching late into the night, it is difficult for many students to stay awake to watch them live.
At The Heritage School, a day boarding school, highlights of the previous day’s matches are screened during breakfast and lunch.
Students are free to cheer, celebrate and support their favourite teams.
“Through football, students learn resilience — they see players suffer injuries and get back on their feet. They also learn the value of teamwork, where one player creates the opportunity and another scores the goal,” said Seema Sapru, principal of The Heritage School.