Our journey as a family at this school has been an incredible one. It started with my passion and belief in freedom and agency for children as an early childhood teacher, it became stronger with me becoming a mum and with each passing day that they spend at this beautiful school, I feel confident that this is the best place for my children’s holistic growth.
What really draws me to this school are the core values placed on “play”, the fact that children can learn through play even after the age of five and the freedom that children have over their learning, their bodies, their day. I am confident that at the end of each day they know a little bit more about themselves and people around them. By each passing day they understand how things work around them in the world and are forming their own working theories. It is beautiful to see and hear that my children have agency over their day, establish the rhythm and they understand when they need to step in or out of any learning experience.
When I sit and reflect on their day at school it blows my mind just to think about the fact that the rhythm that they set inculcates the belief in themselves, that they know who they are; they know what they want, and really try to understand other people's perspective at such young age. I have no doubts about the fact that the school has the core ingredients that help them develop skills to become leaders that have a thinking of a different sort; the thinking that is outside the box. They will go on to become leaders who will raise their voice against unfairness and they will be the ones who would support the cause that will aid this world become a better place.
I also believe that children can develop the "love for learning" if they are not 'forced to lean' and this has been remarkably evident in my children at this school. My children have never been forced to sit down to read or write or to do anything that they do not want to do at the time but interestingly, my older child, Aarav, who is now 8 started reading at the age of 7 without any external compulsion or push. The only motivation that he had was intrinsic, that he developed over time, watching me read every day. He would comment saying, "Oh wow! This is magic, mummy, that you can read; will I read one day like you?" What we have done here for this little boy is to provide him with an environment where he has developed this own perspective and reflection on "a different way to learn". There is a purpose behind this way of learning which is so authentic, meaningful and personal to him. He will be in love with reading for the rest of his life.
Similarly, with my little one, Aanaahd, she loves watching us read together and has observed the whole process of reading with Aarav; she comes and says, "This is beautiful, I know one day I will be able to read" and off she goes with a confidence and self-esteem (that no one else can give her) to engage in whatever she is happy to at the moment, like painting, creating things out of natural resources and whatever she can source around.
They have developed this disposition to be "in love with learning" for the rest of their life.
To sum up this incredible journey, I am in awe every day, I feel blessed and at the same time I feel satisfied and lucky to have found a school where my children can be themselves and foster the sense of self-worth, self-belief and authentic love of learning. They are incredibly lucky to have people around them that do not coerce them, but support them through their learning stages and accept them for who they are!