‘I am ‘bamboozled’ with my son’s speaking skills’

Nitin is working as Finance Controller with Atos, a French multinational information technology service and consulting company. His son, Neev Nitin Jawale, has been a student of Apeejay School, Kharghar since nursery. He is now in class 7. In an interview, he elaborates on how the school has contributed to Neev’s communication skills and stood by his son after the unfortunate demise of his mother.

Why did you go with Apeejay?

I was impressed by the thought process and the ideology of the school principal when I met her for the first time during Nursery Admissions. We were both on the same page as to how to unlock the true potential of a child. Principal Ma’am concurred with my views that children should not be put under too much pressure to perform and the little ones should develop as happy and confident individuals so that they can deal with whatever life throws at them.

Take us through your child’s growth and development over the years.

The foundation of Neev’s learning was laid in Nursery. It was a new environment for him and I can’t thank the teachers enough for making him feel at ease. He was encouraged to freely express himself. I remember for every achievement of a child the teacher used to mark a star on his/her hand. This stimulated students to continue giving their best. I am also in awe of his English communication skills. Let me share with you an anecdote on how I was ‘bamboozled’ by Neev’s speaking skills. One day, when Neev was in class 4, I was going through his art work and was pleasantly surprised by his creations. I didn’t expect him to be great at painting. Neev could make out that I was bowled over by his art work and made a tongue-in-cheek remark, ‘Dad, are you ‘bamboozled?’ I was astonished to hear him use the word ‘bamboozled’ in a sentence. This is when I realised how strong his communication skills are and he has only grown over the years.  

You had to deal with a personal loss. It must have been tough for Neev.

Two years ago Neev’s mother passed away due to brain haemorrhage. Mamata Gosai was his class teacher then. She was extremely considerate and cooperative and helped Neev cope with loss. She even visited our house a couple of times to talk to Neev as it was extremely tough for him to get his life back on track. During Neev’s absence from the school, Mamata Ma’am regularly provided me with class notes so that I can help my son in his studies. It really touched my heart.  Neev is yet to fully recover, but I hope things get better in future.

Tell us about the online classes in the post-Covid era.

Teachers are keeping a close eye on every student and doing a great job in tracking their assignments. Everything related to what’s being taught in the class, notes and attendance can be accessed on Moodle, an e-learning platform. There is total transparency.

“Teachers are easily approachable and you get instant replies from them. Equal emphasis is given to academics and extracurricular activities. Overall, I am quite happy with the school. There’s no doubt that Neev will finish his schooling from Apeejay.”

–Nitin Jawale