‘In Apeejay, teachers help students to come out of their shell and spot their hidden talent’

Dr. Neelu is an Assistant Professor with the DY Patil University, Navi Mumbai and did her PhD in Plant Biotechnology. Her husband, Sanjay Choubey is Business Support Manager with Kinesso India Private Limited, a digital marketing company. They are proud parents of Niharika Choubey and Nikunj Choubey who are studying in class 3 and 10, respectively. In a candid chat, Dr. Neelu highlights how a healthy, happy, and productive school environment can do wonders for children.

What made you pick Apeejay?

Nikunj did his Nursery from a school which was quite far away from our place, so we decided to enroll him in a school that’s in proximity to our neighborhood. To make the right choice, we did a thorough online research and talked to our friends and other parents whose children were studying in Apeejay. They all had great things to say about the school’s academic performance and the immense opportunities in extracurricular activities. So, for Nikunj’s class 1 admission, we only applied in Apeejay. There was a parent interview round and it went really well. The teachers were extremely polite and cordial. Nikunj also had a smooth interview process and we happily got him enrolled in class 1.

Tell us about the progress made by your children over the years.

Nikunj is an extrovert, freely expresses himself and is highly interactive during classes. Whatever doubts or thoughts he has in his mind, whether study-related or otherwise, he doesn’t hesitate to share them with his teachers. The credit for it goes to his teachers. They always encourage students to come out of their shell and ask a lot of questions. It doesn’t matter if their questions don’t make sense as the whole effort is to engage them and give them confidence. They also identify hidden talents of students and help polish them. For instance, teachers spotted leadership qualities in Nikunj early on and assigned him roles that required him to demonstrate leadership skills. They also discovered his hidden talent in playing the keyboard. Nikunj is more than eager to learn new things and that’s because of the atmosphere provided in the school. Happy with the all-round development of Nikunj, we got Niharika admitted to the school as well. She too, like her brother, is confident and bold.

How have the teachers done with online learning?

They have done a commendable job. Though initially we were a little worried as to how the school will manage this challenge. Now, I am happy to state that the online classes have gone so well that I find them as engaging as physical classes.  Teachers don’t commence online classes until and unless all students keep their cameras on. To keep students involved in the class they regularly ask questions from students. The students too are more than eager to put across their views and they love to engage in a healthy debate.

Any achievement of your children that’s close to your heart?

In class 1, Niharika won the trophy for the ‘Best English Speaker’. The award was given after taking into account Niharika’s yearly performance that’s why it meant a lot to us. We were pleasantly surprised.