A parent’s perspective
KTJ International School Parent Teacher Committee (PTC) president Phoopinder Kaur shares a parent’s perspective on holistic education.
“with four school-going children, I try to walk in their shoes to understand the child’s experience of the world. whenever I do this, I am reminded that children should be loved, respected and allowed to be children.
“Like many parents, I question how my children will get to learn in an environment that is not at the expense of play.
“I want my children to have a good academic grounding as well as character development, which unfortunately, I have discovered, is not a priority in some educational institutions.
“In search of a more conducive environment, I decided to switch to a new school for my children. The joy on their little faces each morning is reassuring confirmation that I have made the right choice.
“walking into school on the first day was a completely different ballgame from before with the smiles, warmth and positive energy. I am really thankful I am able to give my children the opportunity to be part of the KTJ International School community, with its distinct philosophy of respecting the growth of the individual in each of our children.
“getting to know all the teachers has been an inspiring experience. They build on talents, nurturing and guiding the children to explore, learn through play and be risk takers.
“Life at home after school has become simpler – the children are more adept at academic fundamentals and I find myself assisting and supporting them as opposed to teaching. They are not just learning, but are relishing their learning.
“From the outset, the school made it very clear that parents play an important role in the schooling life of the child and it is necessary to assemble the two main actors on the stage of a child’s life to work together in providing a conducive environment for children to flourish.
“KTJ is a community where parents and educators are drawn together to provide a holistic and transformative education, not just an academic one. I have been impressed by the willingness of the staff and teachers to listen to the parent body.
“KTJ has a healthy community that fosters the growth of all indi- viduals connected with it – people who lend their strength to the development of the school. I feel that the most successful schools are those where parents are involved and that active support plays a strong role in the fabric of the school.
“Developing a smooth schoolparent-teacher partnership can be quite a challenge but KTJ and its parent body, the Parent Teacher Committee (PTC) and parents have been successful.
“we support the school with festival events, fun days, school trips, open days, as well as participating in dialogues about the development of the school.
“Aside from the benefit it has had on my kids, I’m thankful for the symbiotic benefit the change of school has had on me too.
“Having walked away from a career to be a full-time mum, the opportunity to be involved in the school and my children’s education has become a vaunted and cherished way for me to contribute to my children’s growth.
“Having the PTC and being part of this lovely committee has made me so much closer to my children and the school. we all seem to be learning together and that can only be incredibly positive for the development of my kids.”
For details on KTJ, look out for the advertisement in this StarSpecial.