‘I always wanted my children to study at this school’

Every parent wants the best for their child and this starts with choosing the perfect school. This was the main consideration for the parents of Divyansha Sharma of class VI who studies at Apeejay School, Rama Mandi. Her parents – Manoj and Kajal Sharma – had a few key points that they wanted from a school. While both work at Sanskriti KMV School, they decided to teach their daughter at the best school in Jalandhar. And that according to the parents is Apeejay.

“I am a dance teacher and my husband is in IT at the school. Everyone told us that we must get our daughter enrolled in the same school. But we had a different take. I have studied in a government school and I wanted only one thing for my child – to give her/him the best education possible. The fact that my niece and nephew are from the same school and Apeejay is near to our home is an added bonus,” Kajal said.

In a candid interview, she talks about how dance can help a student with more structured learning among other things.

Why did you choose Apeejay for your daughter?

She has been in this school from class I. When I was looking for a school for Divyansha, after she completed her nursery, I was looking for a school that had good teachers and offered a strong academic background. I spoke to a lot of people and everyone said that Apeejay School, Rama Mandi was excellent on both these counts.

How are the teachers at this school?

This is my personal observation – maybe other parents have a different experience, but my daughter has fantastic teachers. All through to class VI, she has had great teachers. There was a time when we thought of putting her in the school where we work but she was adamant; she didn’t want to leave her friends and she had developed a great rapport with the teachers.

It is important that the child has a comfort level with the teachers; only then can they do well in their studies. The teachers are also particular about pronunciation and correcting a student if a word is pronounced incorrectly.

What kind of co-curricular activities does your daughter participate in at school?

Since I am a dance teacher, I insist that she learn this art form. She, on her own, is more interested in singing and whenever there is a chance in school, she is on the stage. The fact that she can also dance is an added advantage and this helps her to participate in more events and activities.

“All through class VI, my daughter has had great teachers. There was a time when we thought of putting her in the school where we work but she was adamant; she didn’t want to leave her friends and she had developed a great rapport with the teachers”

-Kajal Sharma, Mother of a Student at Apeejay School, Rama Mandi

Was it tough for her to switch to online classes?

The only problem that I had with online classes was that the normal school routine went out of sync. But as far as her studies were concerned the teachers ensured that there was no learning gap. The teachers kept taking small tests to make sure that the students had a good grasp of what was taught. The teachers had a tight rein on their students.

Now that the classes are back to being regular, she is back to her routine and studying well, and doing well in her class.

Do you get regular feedback from the school?

What I love about this school is that every person is invested in the student. The principal makes regular rounds of the classes and personally asks students if they have any problems. And this is not restricted to scholar students, the principal goes to each child. This shows that the school wants that each child should progress and not just a few.

Divyansha’s teachers give regular feedback. They tell me that in her hurry to submit the work first, she ends up making silly mistakes and this is something that I am working on with her.

Do you think that teachers should take full responsibility to a student’s progress?

Teachers are always there for the students to help them with any issues they may have. But not everything can be a teacher’s responsibility. A parent too must play a role in a child’s life. If the parents want their child to do well in life, they too need to play a role and sacrifices have to be made. A parent must lead by example.

Do you recommend Apeejay to other parents?

Yes, all the time. My son is now ready to go to school and he too will go to Apeejay. I tell parents that if they want their child to do well academically, this is the school to send the child.