‘Apeejay teachers have made life easier for working parents’

Yuvraj Bansal, a kindergarten student from Apeejay School, Noida, was introduced to a classroom, albeit virtual, for the first time when he joined the institute in 2020.  Since then, he has only visited his school twice—earlier this year and another time last year—for an interactive session. His mother Noopur Nagar is a Product Consultant with Tata Consultancy Services and his father Abhinav Bansal, is Lead Consultant with Genpact. In an interview, Noopur says the faculty helps working parents such as the Bansals strike a good work-life balance.  Edited excerpts:

What has the overall experience been like?

There hasn’t been any issue so far. My son has been learning a lot, perhaps in the same way as he would have in a traditional classroom. The only thing missing is his chance to socialise and make new friends in flesh and blood. However, organising online classes was the best thing that the school could have done during the pandemic. The teachers are very good, helpful, and extremely patient with all the students. It has been a great experience.

Do you find the teachers cooperating with parents who need to attend classes with their young kids?

Of course, teachers are very interactive and always stay in touch with parents. They keep sending us updates via WhatsApp broadcast messages. They make sure to send us the weekly timetable, which really helps working parents to plan the week in advance. As someone who is balancing office and household chores, if I ever miss any part of the class, the teacher sends the required information separately so that we are in sync.

You mentioned how you want Yuvraj to learn to be independent. Have the teachers helped in any way?

As a new mother, I am still learning parenting skills every day. To teach my son to be independent, I picked up ideas from his teacher. During a class, she tells students to take out books from the school bag or arrange for pencils or have lunch on their own, without any help from parents, and so on. I repeat similar activities at home to help my child become self-reliant.

Why did you pick Apeejay School, Noida?

One of the main factors was the school’s proximity to our house. We then checked the reviews of the school and also visited the campus to know all about the facilities they offer. My husband and I found everything to be very impressive. We were happy to see that the school does not just focus on academics but also extra-curricular activities.

Is physical exercise also a part of the online classes?

When the class starts, students have a workout session for 5-10 mins, where they do yoga, eye exercises or dance, before they start the day’s lesson. In the evening too, there are sessions where the teacher plays some music recommended by the students and they all dance.

Is Yuvraj participating in extra-curricular activities at school?

Yuvraj is more excited about extra-curricular activities than I am. Every month, there are a number of activities like storytelling, show and tell, recitation, and inter-school competitions. Our son is also picking up other skills such as public speaking and expressions. All the children are really happy and learning a lot.