‘Getting equal opportunity to participate is a great source of encouragement for students at Apeejay Noida’

Manita Sharma has been associated with the Apeejay family for a long time now. Both her sons Chaitanya and Revansh are students of Apeejay School, Noida. The mother-of-two, who is the Manager at Accenture, believes Apeejay has been successful in providing her sons a comfortable environment of learning, with the constant support of the teachers. In an interview, Manita talks about how the school makes sure to give equal opportunities to showcase talent to every child. Edited excerpts:

Why made you pick Apeejay School, Noida, for your sons?

Revansh is in class 1 and my elder son Chaitanya is in class 8. One of my relatives’ children is also in Apeejay School, in Jalandhar. So, I had heard good reviews about Apeejay not just from them but also from some other friends in my neighbourhood. That is how I thought about shortlisting the school for my children. My elder son’s experience was very good, so we naturally thought of enrolling our younger son there as well. Besides, Apeejay also has higher education institutions which give me a bigger vision for my children—that they can be part of the Apeejay family even after class 12.

How has the school helped your sons’ progress?

I am very happy with the support from the teachers. I have no complaints. Teachers are very interactive and helpful. It has been two years since our children have been having online classes, which has given parents a chance to see how they were being taught. I have seen the teachers adopt the most appropriate approach to communicate and explain things to children. The students not only talk about academics with the teacher but are also comfortable talking to them about everything else, which makes Apeejay an ideal environment for children. It is wonderful to see that teachers are able to maintain that connection with the students.

Given Revansh is so young, has he been able to adapt to the post-pandemic online mode of teaching?

Revansh went to school in nursery class, prior to the pandemic. Revansh has motion sickness, so he was not comfortable going to school initially. But with the encouragement of his teacher, he started loving his school so much that he wanted to go there only to meet his teacher. I would like to express my gratitude to his current class teacher Aishwarya ma’am. The way she conducts the class and maintains decorum while ensuring all the students get equal opportunities, considering how young they are, is wonderful. She has done a fabulous job even in a virtual environment.

How has Apeejay’s experiential learning approach helped clear concepts?

Apeejay has certain programmes that are theme-based. My sons have participated in a few of them. These definitely help achieve a level of clarity of concepts. They are able to remember what they learn, which is very important. It develops adequate interest, so much that Chaitanya is eager to tell his parents all that he has learned.

Not just academics, parents nowadays are looking at children’s holistic development. Tell us how the school has helped shape your sons’ personalities.

Some children are extroverts while others are not. Ensuring that everyone participates, without any bias, is a great source of encouragement for the children. During the Annual Appreciation Day, every child was given a trophy with their names on it, which was very motivating. I hope to see the school identify children’s areas of interest further and support them in honing their skills.

Revansh participated in Annual Day celebrations. Chaitanya, too, is involved in the school band. He even participated in some sports events. Extra-curricular activities help build kids’ confidence. Be it overcoming the fear of speaking to a crowd or performing confidently on stage, the activities in school play a major role in achieving these goals.  

Are teachers open to feedback?

I have never faced any issues with the teachers till now. I have shared my concerns and challenges with the teachers in the past and they have extended their support in whatever way possible, be it in the offline or the online mode. Overall, I am quite happy.