Sandeepa (left) and her daughter Anoushka
By Sandeepa Chavan
Let the path on which children tread be full of joy, curiosity and learning. Let not the elders force the route, for children can make their own.
Anoushka, my first child, was a creative little thing. She was allowed to scribble on the walls of my house which she did gleefully, drawing all that she imagined. It was 2006 when I joined the IB family as a facilitator for the Primary Years Programme (PYP). Anoushka was in a school where her curiosity was thwarted and had no chance for her creativity to develop. I moved her to the PYP and saw her grow day-by-day into a confident child with ample opportunity to develop the various skills that the PYP so proudly boasts about.
We both grew – she as a PYP student and me as a facilitator.
Open-minded, principled and independent were some of the qualities that slowly became a part of her persona. She learned about various cultures and traditions and also was so accommodating to the various places I took her when I moved. I started depending on her to make her own decisions. Her keen sense of rationing and the be-a-risk-taker attitude sometimes baffled me. Was it the six years of PYP that did this to her? I believe so.
Today, as a PYP Coordinator, I cite my daughter as an endorsement of the programme that changed our life drastically. I strongly assert that if there is a change we wish to see in the world … it’s from here!
Sandeepa Chavan is a PYP Coordinator at Al-Rayan International School in Ghana, Africa.