‘Teachers at Apeejay Noida go the extra yard for students’

Vivek Kumar, Project Manager at IBM India and his wife Sonal Sharma, a homemaker shifted to India from the United States in 2017. While they were looking for admission for their son, they were advised by their friends to consider Apeejay School, Noida for the edge of value-based education it provided over other schools, along with a multiplicity of other reasons.

In an interview, Sonal elaborates on the reasons behind choosing Apeejay Noida. She fondly recalls participating in the School Sports Camp Day, walking over the rope bridge with her son and commends the teachers for taking extra pains to improve Vivaan’s reading skills. Edited excerpts:

Why did you choose Apeejay School, Noida over other schools for your ward’s admission?

We came to India from Denver, USA in 2017. We were already late for school admissions that year. That time, we got some information from few of our trusted friends that Apeejay School, Noida is doing very well as an institution. They told us that it is one of the most prestigious schools in Delhi-NCR.  Apeejay Noida students always excel in academic performance in the CBSE board exams. So, we went straight to the school, spoke to the principal and got Vivaan’s admission done in Nursery class.

Please tell us about your child and take us through his progress in school?

Vivaan is an extremely active and energetic child. He always participates in every discussion in the class. Even during online classes, he gets restless if the teacher doesn’t ask him questions. He always looks forward to speaking in the class, answering any question asked confidently. He participates actively in extra-curricular activities, likes to study Math and Computers.  He is extremely good in sports activities. Before the pandemic, he was participating in all the sports camps. He likes to do those simulated commando activities and walk on rope bridges. However, his reading skills have room for improvement. On this aspect, I am getting considerable support from all his school teachers on this. They are taking extra classes with him.

Do you think the teachers are engaging well with the children?

Yes, the teachers are engaging really well. Vivaan’s Hindi teacher is taking an extra class to work on his reading skills every Tuesday and Friday. All his teachers are continuously in touch with me.  

What is the best thing about Apeejay Noida, according to you?

Before the pandemic, there were lot of activities in the school. I liked to participate in them with my child. Parents were participating with their wards in sport activities and other cultural activities. In nursery, I participated in the sports camp day and walked on the rope bridge along with Vivaan. It is a very beautiful memory which I cherish till date. It is these fests and cultural functions that immensely contribute to the growth of a child.

How do you view the experience of online classes during the pandemic?

The online classes are running smoothly. In fact, the classes happen so regularly that we don’t feel the lack of anything.  There so many projects and cultural activities that both Vivaan and I feel burdened (laughs).

It is only during the pandemic and the time of online classes, that we parents also got the chance to observe and occasionally participate in the class along with our ward. The school teachers are immensely cooperative with all the parents. We never felt any kind of disconnection. Here, I would like to name Mona Ma’am, who was Vivaan’s class teacher last year. We still remember her not only as a great teacher but also as a wonderful person. Ruchi Ma’am, Vivaan’s class teacher this year, is also extremely nice.