Head Start.. more than just a school!
Shanmugan (Nags) Nagarajan
Head Start parent from 2002 till date
Father of Bharath and Ashritha
Head Start.. more than just a school!
“Keep your eyes on the stars, but your feet on the ground” is what Head Start taught my children.
An inclusive school it is. Head Start has created a level playing field for all kinds of kids alike, irrespective of their disparate abilities and socio-economic backgrounds. It has taught my children the right way of life, way beyond just being a school!
Attitude of Gratitude, Respect and High Self Esteem
Our children got their grounding through the daily habits Head Start inculcated in them, like taking the government run local BMTC buses, sitting on the floor to eat and washing their own plates. They were taught to respect elders, irrespective of what roles they played in the school, including the kitchen and janitorial staff.
Head Start makes sure children grow with high self-confidence, through consistent habit forming activities like public speaking and presentations, that are woven into the school’s way of education.
Well-rounded Education
I see most Head Start children turn out to be all rounders; not just book worms prepared for one-dimensional rat races, but resourceful, multitalented, dynamic future citizens. Every student gets multiple opportunities to participate and shine in a variety of extracurriculars like music, drama, sports and more, in addition to academics. The annual events that the school conducts for each of these activities ensures that the students practice and prepare well all along, adding rigour to what they learn. And the events are evenly spread through the year, which makes the kids look forward to something or the other throughout their school year!
More than just Teachers.. Aunties and Uncles!
Head Start Teachers are the other reason why the students turn out the way they are. Each one of them is hand picked and engrained in Head Start’s DNA. They connect well with the students, and students bond very well with them, like a family!
Quality vs Quantity
As an entrepreneur, I truly appreciate the unique way Samina Ma’m and Riad have built the school. It is not just another factory that mass-produces students as commodities. It is not a money-making machine that looks at every student as a revenue opportunity. Head Start handcrafts unique, sharp and conscientious individuals who are ready to take on the world in their own way. It is for this simple reason that despite the high demand that exists, Head Start would not expand too fast. The founders value quality more than quantity.
We were very fortunate that Head Start expanded to middle school and then high school, a decade or so back, when my older child was ready. He grew along with the school and got the benefit of growing in an environment that proved to be the best for him.
Thank you dear Samina Ma’am and Riad, for being our real partners in shaping our children so remarkably well!