Month: March 2020

Why do parents send their children to school? Is it only for studying a set of subjects and getting marks in examinations? The main purpose of sending our children to school is for their overall development. It is a well-known fact that overall development is beyond academics. Many schools these days are making efforts in the direction of the overall development of children. Even the government schools are trying to make their teaching and learning more holistic. Let us first understand what holistic learning means.

Holistic development entails three main types of capacities – mental or intellectual, psychomotor or physical, affective or socio-emotional. Usually, the schools tend to focus more on developing mental or intellectual capabilities mainly through teaching subjects. Physical aspects are somewhat taken care of by sports activities that most good schools have these days. However, the socio-emotional capacity building is the least thought of in schools. The schools are more inclined towards disciplining the children rather than nurturing their human emotions. While discipline in itself is not bad but somewhere the strict rules and sole focus on maintaining discipline with punishment system negatively affects the children. And children do not get opportunities to express what they feel and manage their emotions.

Mostly, intelligence is thought of as being synonymous to scoring high grades. However, according to the popular Multiple Intelligences Theory propounded by Howard Gardner, every individual is intelligent. Each individual has different set of capacities which are more dominant than the others. So, the individual is intelligent in those areas. We all keep hearing that each individual and each child is different and unique but we hardly follow it in schools. We judge the capability of every child the same way. Not every child may have the interest or ability in mathematics. However, the same child can be linguistically very strong. The main aim of the schools should be to discover these innate qualities of every child and nurture them further. Teaching the same subjects the same way and expecting all children to perform well in only one type of examinations is quite unfair. Also, it does not lead to overall development at all.

There are very few schools that actually focus on finding the innate potential of every child and giving them exposure to build on their capabilities. Millennium Schools are the perfect example. The philosophy adopted in The Millennium Schools and Millennium World Schools is to nurture the innate potential of every child. Their curriculum is designed in a way that each child gets multiple opportunities to enhance their talents and abilities. One of the best CBSE schools in India, Millennium Schools have developed a unique and research based curriculum called Millennium Learning System. They have won many awards for it too. Their approach to teaching and learning is truly holistic that focuses on developing all three capacities – mental, physical and socio-emotional. A lot of importance is given to children for understanding self and their emotions. Their aim is to create responsible citizens who are life-long learners and are ready for the future. Millennium Schools are rated as the top schools in Indiaand they have more than 40 schools across different regions in our country.

QOne of the most stressful decisions for parents nowadays is that of school admission of their child. There are numerous schools available these days and it has become quite a difficult task for parents to select a good school for their children. The range of options available with parents is so wide that it confuses them in taking an apt decision about their child’s school admission. Selection of a good school requires thorough research and comparison of different schools. This research and comparison of various schools has to be based on certain parameters. This article lists certain parameters on the basis of which parents can compare different schools and take an informed decision.

Curriculum

The primary purpose of a school is to provide quality education. Every school has its curriculum which includes content to be taught in different subjects, pedagogy or the way the content is to be taught, activities and experiences to promote and develop different skills in children. The kind of learning experiences of a school provides to children defines their approach towards teaching and learning and outlines its vision. A good school will focus on holistic development instead of learning for examinations.

Teaching Faculty

A school without teachers will be a place where the primary goal of education is not being fulfilled. The learning experiences that are provided in a school are done by teachers. Teachers are the ones who deliver the teaching and learning experiences and motivate children to nurture and grow. Teachers are the ones who interact directly with students as well as parents. Hence, it becomes very critical to have the right kind of teaching staff with apt qualities who will be able to translate the vision of the school into a reality. A good school has excellent teaching staff with apt qualifications, brilliant subject knowledge, passion for teaching and learning, love for children and life skills that help in becoming role model for children.

Safety and Hygiene

Parents are utmost concerned about their children’s safety. A good school is one that takes care of the safety measures in detail. Every little aspect is taken seriously and all safety measures are in place for a good school. Another important factor that makes a school a good school is the hygiene. A good school should be able to provide clean drinking water, clean toilets and hygienic environment.

Growth Mindset

A good school has leadership with a growth mindset. The focus of the school shifts from high achievement scores to wellness and development of children. Children can rote learn and still score good marks but what is important is that children get such learning opportunities that promote and nurture holistic development.

These are some of the main parameters on the basis of which a school can be judged as good or not. There are several other factors that will contribute in making a school good and in turn influence parents’ decision. Millennium Schoolsacross the country are examples of schools that stand out in the above mentioned parameters. Trusted by parents throughout the country, they are one of the best CBSE schools in India. The Millennium Schools and Millennium World Schools are ranked as top schools in India. To know more this leading chain of schools, you can visit their website.

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A very old saying goes ‘first impression is the last impression’. While it may not be entirely true, first impressions do hold certain value. The physical appearance does make an impact in the onlooker’s mind. The school building or campus is its physical appearance which helps in forming the first impression in any visitor’s mind. Of course, the school building is much beyond just the physical appearance. Let’s read more about school buildings and campuses.

The way utmost care is taken when we build and decorateour house, similarly thought is put into every aspect of the school building and campus. School campuses speak volumes about the vision and philosophy of the school. Top schools in India have huge and beautiful school campuses. Take the example of Millennium schools across different regions in India. Visiting a Millennium School in any location is a wonderful experience in itself. The entire campus speaks the vision of the schools which is to create leaders.

The Millennium School buildings are unique that radiate warmth and make you feel welcomed. The lush green playgrounds take you back to the memories of your own childhood. The spaces in and around the schools are aesthetically and scientifically designed to promote learning. The reception area welcomes you with bright, colourful and happy art work created by children. Every art and craft piece displayed at the reception area reflects the creativity and imagination fostered in the children at school.

The classrooms are too designed scientifically and aesthetically to foster a healthy, safe and happy learning environment. The furniture is thoughtfully selected to make it most comfortable for children of every age group and also promote activity-based and cooperative learning techniques. The walls and floors of the entire school talk to you and reflect the vision of the school. Project work and art work done by children of different ages are displayed across the school which exude a sense of ownership that children possess towards the school.

All the campuses of The Millennium Schools and Millennium World Schools exuberates positivity and a zeal for learning. Children here are bound to fall in love with learning at Millennium Schools. The environment is stimulating and nurturing where children are encouraged to discover and develop their innate potential. The campus is learning-centered that promotes development of different skills and not only academics. All three kinds of capacities – mental or intellectual, physical or psychomotor, and affective or socio-emotional are nurtured through the environment. Millennium Schoolsare ranked as the best CBSE schools in India for a reason.

Warm, cheerful and positive vibrations strike a chord with you as you enter the main gate of the Millennium school campus and remain with you throughout. The air in the entire campus is filled with joy that rubs on you too. The school premises are kept absolutely clean and hygienic with all basic amenities in place. You feel safe, secure and happy. The joyful feeling motivates you to learn and grow as an individual. You do get a feeling and desire to become a child again and make Millennium Schoolyour second home!

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The maximum time of the day of a child is spent at school. The way every aspect of one’s house is taken care of to make it comfortable for children play, learn and grow, the same way, a school also has to be designed to promote development of children. Studies reveal that school infrastructure is one of the key factors that contribute in building the child’s perception of the world around her when she grows up.

Schools can be considered as second homes for children. Therefore, it will not be wrong to say that a school serves numerous purposes in the life of a child. The primary purpose of a school is of course learning. However, do you think learning can happen in a place that is not clean, hygienic, safe or comfortable? While, on an idealistic level it can be argued that learning is beyond all these factors and if an individual wants to learn, then it can happen anywhere irrespective of the physical spaces. However, this kind of zeal for learning is not found in all people and children. Further, school is not a place merely for academic learning. Different skills and values are also taught to children in school including cleanliness, hygiene, safety, respect and so on. Thus, the physical space of the school should be example of all this.

It is a known fact that children learn better when they get a safe and favourable environment. Right temperature levels, proper ventilation, enough light, clean and green spaces, open spaces to play and move, safe and secured boundaries of the school, premises, clean toilets, clean drinking water, comfortable furniture and so on are some of the basic facilities that make the schools environment favourable. However, the environment is not only created by the physical resources but also by people. The role of teachers and other staff becomes very critical here. The way they interact with the children and the values they promote through their behaviour creates an environment accordingly.

Good schools make an extra effort to create an environment that promotes all round development of children. Good schools pay special attention to wellness of children – mental, physical and emotional. Classrooms are designed in ways that promote development of all faculties in children. Spacious playgrounds with adequate sports facilities enable children engage in different sports and other physical activities. Libraries, laboratories, resource rooms, multipurpose rooms, auditorium, and medical room are some other facilities in a school. It is a well-established fact that the school infrastructure has a direct impact on learning and development of children.

Even though most school owners know the importance of good school infrastructure, they do not put much thought into it. And even when thought is put, the school buildings are often just made fancy to attract parents and not really meant to promote learning. There are certain schools like Millennium Schools in India that give importance to every aspect of school to foster learning. The Millennium Schools and Millennium World Schools are located in more than 40 cities across India and each of their campuses is worth visiting. Every campus is scientifically designed to promote learning. Millennium Schools are one of the best CBSE schools in India. To know more about their learning-enabled infrastructure, visit one of their campuses or their website.