Saiaansh Suri, a student at Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park enrolled into class Nursery at the school six months ago. At a time when all Delhi schools were shut down, he started his online classes from home. What followed after was a chain of progress for the student, says his mother, Ms. Anju Singh. In an interview, she talks about how the school staff has adapted to the online mode seamlessly, making classes fun and interactive. Edited excerpts from the interview:
Why did you pick Apeejay for your son, Saiaansh?
My husband, his brother and wife are all Apeejayites. So, when we were looking to enroll Saiaansh to a school, the institution was our natural choice. We had filled forms for about 10 schools in Delhi during the nursery admission season last year, and we got short-listed in about 3-4. Apeejay was always my top-choice.
How has been your experience with Apeejay School, Panchsheel Park?
Prior to Saiaansh’s admission to the school, he wasn’t enrolled in a pre-primary institution. Therefore, I was very apprehensive as to how he would manage and adjust in a school environment. To adapt to the online mode of learning did take him a month. With his teacher, Ms. Ashima Khera, he feels very comfortable at the school. As a parent, I feel delighted about how she goes about conducting the sessions. She is very approachable and Saiaansh is very fond of her. She makes all the concepts in the class easy to understand for the students and encourages them to speak up. I really appreciate Apeejay for having such a positive staff. I never thought that online classes could become so easy.
Do you think Apeejay’s teaching approach is different? How?
I have observed my son closely during his online classes. At Nursery itself, the school has introduced jolly-phonics to children which is unique. The technique helps children learn the English alphabet very easily. My favourite activity that they do with Saiaansh is Show-And-Tell. In this activity, they show some objects to the students and ask them to observe and describe them. When it was first introduced in the class, I was nervous about Saiaansh’s performance. But, the same has done wonders for my son because it enhances the speaking ability and vocabulary of the children. I never had to push Saiaansh to do anything, in fact, he himself feels that he should participate in more and more such activities at school. That is great!
Your advice for fellow parents?
The nursery admission season in Delhi can be a challenging time for fellow parents. My husband and son were lucky to become a part of Apeejay. If someone has made it to the shortlist of the school, my word is to go for it without having second thoughts. Be it interaction with the teachers, development of your child, confidence-building, communication skills or academics, the school is acing it all. The progress in your child will be noticeable in no time.
Mrini Devnani is a Principal Correspondent and Marketing Coordinator at Newsroom. She covers student achievements, conducts interviews, and contributes content to the website. Previously, she served as a Correspondent specialising in Edu-tech for the India Today Group. Her skill areas extend to Social Media and Digital Marketing. For any inquiries or correspondence, you can reach out to her at [email protected].