‘Parents and teachers’ partnership is a must for holistic development of young learners’

A child is able to make the most out of his education, when s/he receives a highly supportive environment. This is possible only when the teachers and parents work together as a unit, with a single-minded vision to give the best possible education to the child.

This principle has long been realised by the Apeejay Education Group. It is thus that they annually organise the parent orientation program in their schools and make the parents abreast with the education their child receives.

In this regard, Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park recently organised the annual parent orientation programme. The programme began with a mesmerising  dance performance on the song ‘Deva Shree Ganesha’ by kindergarten and class 1 students.  

It was followed by a floral welcome of the dignitaries, Mr. NN Nayyar, Senior Education Officer, Apeejay Education Society, Mrs. Jyotsna Bharadwaj, Founder-Director at Envision India Edu services and Mr. Sandeep Kathuria, Principal of Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park.

Mr. Kathuria welcomed all parents and congratulated them on becoming a part of a school with a 47-year-old legacy of excellence in academics, sports and co-curricular activities. He further spoke about how the school is totally committed to Dr Stya Paul’s vision of providing holistic education to each and every student. He said, “Apeejay Panchsheel Park believes in enabling a child to discover the wings to conquer new horizons and become able leaders of tomorrow.”

He then highlighted the various recent achievements of the school and its students. The school was conferred by the School Edu Excellence award in 2021 and had the most distinctions in the same academic year. Among the many achievements, Akshmit Dewan and Yash Pandey (recent alumni) secured admission in IIT Delhi and BITS Pilani respectively. 

Further, Principal sir mentioned the names of several students who secured admission in international universities and updated the parents about the various accolades and achievements won by the current students of the school. 

“This school has a thematic learning approach and integrates academic concepts with daily life examples. This encourages a spirit of learning with understanding and enhances a child’s psychomotor progress, thereby discouraging the rote learning approach. The school organises carnivals and celebrates special occasions such as Earth Day to make the students aware and skill enabled.”

Speaking on the occasion, Senior Education Officer, Mr. Nayyar regaled the parents by telling them about the struggle-filled life of Founder-Chairman Dr Stya Paul. He highlighted how Dr Paul overcame all obstacles including a physical disability thereby making his life an inspiration for all.

He said, “Dr. Paul thought of innovation even in the face of the grim realities of life. This is why he has left behind a legacy of 18 schools and 8 higher education institutions throughout the nation. The Apeejay education group has a strong foundation of value-based holistic education and follows both international standards of education as well as National Education Policy 2020.” 

“Each child is unique and we nurture the talent in every child, helping them to develop an independent thought process. This makes Apeejayites different from other students as they turn out to be creators in life,” he added.

His address was followed by an interesting video where the tiny tots from the school took the parents on a virtual tour of the school and shared their experiences of learning as they heartily recited nursery rhymes.

A wonderful session on parenting skills was presented by Mrs. Jyotsna Bhradwaj. She reminded the parents of the ABC of parenting. She said, “In the ABC of parenting. A is for acceptance. B stands for boundaries and C is for character.”

She also spoke about the power of positive discipline and told the parents to focus on the good behaviors of their children. She said, “There are no bad children, just good or bad behaviours. Praise the behavior and not the child. Positively reinforce the behaviour and always be genuine. Remember to turn the praise back towards the child. It is very healthy to take notice of positive behaviours in the child and reinforce them.”

She also emphasised on the difference between nature vs nature theory. She stated, “While genes do play a role, childhood behaviours are certainly the foundations of life. Habits develop a lifelong influence on a child’s world. Unengaged or permissive parenting styles don’t work anymore and are incorrect to help the child realise his/her potential.  Warm, supporting, encouraging parenting styles are way more efficient. The parent at the same time must also be firm and clear about his/her limits. Creativity is a must in parenting, since the new-age kids are smarter and very tech-savvy.”

Finally touching upon teacher-parent coordination, she exclaimed, “Parent- teacher partnership is a must. It cannot be two warring teams, since in such a case it is always the child who suffers. They must function together as a team”

During the session, Mrs. Suman Chaudhry, a parent asked an interesting question, “How should one explain the kids, when they are adamantly pursuing something wrong for them?” Mrs. Jyotsna replied, “As a parent one must focus on the manner in which one asks the child to correct himself/herself and try to reinforce the positive behaviour.”

 The program concluded with a fabulous neon light dance performance by kindergarten and class 1 students.

The vote of thanks was given by Vice-Principal, Mrs.  Shalini Agarwal. She reminded all parents that there will be good and bad moments in the parenting journey. Everyone makes mistakes but no matter what one must at all costs give time to their children.