We were also in the same boat when my kid Maitri grew up to the age of joining school. It all boils down to Kya karen? SSC, CBSE, ICSE?... and then which school basis the faculties v/s fees? Everyone who names themselves international costs a bomb... even the others know that the people consider schools higher basis the higher fees... ultimately one is OUTSOURCING a critical function of kids parenting to an organisation!!
Archana took up a huge research project to find an apt school for Maitri. I also authorised her with all the powers of decision making!! To some extent, I didn't want to own up the responsibility of a faulty decision😜
She identified for Maitri the best (to her knowledge and understanding). Than started the most painful admission process. Archana stood Ina quee for more than 15 hours. I covered my part up with help of our office peon who stood their overnight just to get hold of first 200 admission forms that they issue on first come first serve basis. This nightmare itself made me feel like a stupid parent who has no choice left with him but to do all what a so called "GOOD" School would call for to get his kid in... be it as it is...
We did all the exercise, paid a hefty onetime donation (out of our nose) and got her into the school. All this was done keeping a vision that Maitri will distinguish herself by this GREAT schooling. Everyone whom we shall explain about this admission would praise us as good parents...
Every next person who met started asking "Which school is Maitri joining?" And we as proud parents explained that she is joining SSVRM. Not only us, her Dada, Dadi and Nani understood all plus points of this selected one of thirty odd schools in Mulund and started calling shots with known ones around.
Life changed as she started going to school. Schedules, tiffin and dress codes started being centre of our discussions all the time. We started telling small 3 year old as to what will NOT work in the school and what all she will have to follow as discipline.
Maitri started going to the "Chosen" school regularly. She was a very bold child. She never cried like any other child and was adoptive to the set rules.
Fat text books....and all the heavy stuff. It was now a very strict environment like hitler's rule as the kids have reached 10th std. They had to complete the writing with the teacher....no matter how much they have understood; they used to get the punishment of standing outside the class for hours, if they forgot to get a book or didn't complete the homework. And....on the top of everything, a a 6 year old child was not allowed to go to toilet in between except the lunch break. So many children suffered from stomachache and then parents had to go to the teacher and superviser of the primary section to complain about this; which wasn't that effective. This all ended up giving an unfriendly environment and boring learning hours to kids.
Maitri, who was very much adoptive to situations since her birth, was not able to …
And of course, alike every second parent, we were also very happy to get the best school of the town. And were satisfied of fulfilling our duty to send our daughter to a perfect school.
As time passed, pre primary was over and the real schooling started when we reached first std. And suddenly the scenario changed. The school time was increased to 7 hours a day. The practical and creative parts of teaching and learning was suddenly lost.
And now it was all about writing a lot, making projects (which were too high level for parents also), fat text books....and this time, It was the time when we both had long...long....discussions around the doubts like.....Is Maitri getting the real education for life? Is this what we knew and understood about the best school? What is causing this mismatch between Maitri's likings and the school education? And...so on. The most important was why only we are not happy and satisfied with the school system when everyone else is enjoying it? And this forced us speak to around 100 parents (some mothers, some fathers, some grand parents and teachers too). After analysing their thoughts and answers to our doubts; we came to know that it was just a compromise. Nobody is really happy with the child's development.
A thought flashed, a child's education is the parents' duty; but in this world of outsourcing, parents are outsourcing this activity also to the schools. And.... feel satisfied by spending for the highest fees of schools, tuitions, phonetics, grammar, IPM and 100s of other classes.....
Maitri Homeschooling starts now......We shall complete the other part soon for the interested to know what all we factored in?
Archana took up a huge research project to find an apt school for Maitri. I also authorised her with all the powers of decision making!! To some extent, I didn't want to own up the responsibility of a faulty decision😜
She identified for Maitri the best (to her knowledge and understanding). Than started the most painful admission process. Archana stood Ina quee for more than 15 hours. I covered my part up with help of our office peon who stood their overnight just to get hold of first 200 admission forms that they issue on first come first serve basis. This nightmare itself made me feel like a stupid parent who has no choice left with him but to do all what a so called "GOOD" School would call for to get his kid in... be it as it is...
We did all the exercise, paid a hefty onetime donation (out of our nose) and got her into the school. All this was done keeping a vision that Maitri will distinguish herself by this GREAT schooling. Everyone whom we shall explain about this admission would praise us as good parents...
Every next person who met started asking "Which school is Maitri joining?" And we as proud parents explained that she is joining SSVRM. Not only us, her Dada, Dadi and Nani understood all plus points of this selected one of thirty odd schools in Mulund and started calling shots with known ones around.
Life changed as she started going to school. Schedules, tiffin and dress codes started being centre of our discussions all the time. We started telling small 3 year old as to what will NOT work in the school and what all she will have to follow as discipline.
Maitri started going to the "Chosen" school regularly. She was a very bold child. She never cried like any other child and was adoptive to the set rules.
Fat text books....and all the heavy stuff. It was now a very strict environment like hitler's rule as the kids have reached 10th std. They had to complete the writing with the teacher....no matter how much they have understood; they used to get the punishment of standing outside the class for hours, if they forgot to get a book or didn't complete the homework. And....on the top of everything, a a 6 year old child was not allowed to go to toilet in between except the lunch break. So many children suffered from stomachache and then parents had to go to the teacher and superviser of the primary section to complain about this; which wasn't that effective. This all ended up giving an unfriendly environment and boring learning hours to kids.
Maitri, who was very much adoptive to situations since her birth, was not able to …
And of course, alike every second parent, we were also very happy to get the best school of the town. And were satisfied of fulfilling our duty to send our daughter to a perfect school.
As time passed, pre primary was over and the real schooling started when we reached first std. And suddenly the scenario changed. The school time was increased to 7 hours a day. The practical and creative parts of teaching and learning was suddenly lost.
And now it was all about writing a lot, making projects (which were too high level for parents also), fat text books....and this time, It was the time when we both had long...long....discussions around the doubts like.....Is Maitri getting the real education for life? Is this what we knew and understood about the best school? What is causing this mismatch between Maitri's likings and the school education? And...so on. The most important was why only we are not happy and satisfied with the school system when everyone else is enjoying it? And this forced us speak to around 100 parents (some mothers, some fathers, some grand parents and teachers too). After analysing their thoughts and answers to our doubts; we came to know that it was just a compromise. Nobody is really happy with the child's development. A thought flashed, a child's education is the parents' duty; but in this world of outsourcing, parents are outsourcing this activity also to the schools. And.... feel satisfied by spending for the highest fees of schools, tuitions, phonetics, grammar, IPM and 100s of other classes.....
Maitri Homeschooling starts now......We shall complete the other part soon for the interested to know what all we factored in?
Hmm... right schooling for a child has become very challenging now-a-days..what next u did?
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