It was yet another colleague who recommended St. Thomas School to me. I did read the reviews of this school before approaching the Principal for admission. The reviews were very good. As my colleague said, students were expected to answer tests almost everyday. This, she said, ensured that lazy students are on their toes. She also praised the teachers and the Principal.
I went to this school twice and disliked the unprofessional approach. The Principal did not honor the appointment and kept me waiting for almost 3 hours. (This was unacceptable. If the head of the institution is undisciplined, I wonder what example would she set.) I thought of leaving many times but the school reviews were all positive. So, I waited for 3 hours only to be told to come the next day for talks.
Without arguing, I walked out to return the next day and only to be told to get my daughter for a test the day after. Need I say that I was seething but felt helpless.
Oashe stood open-mouthed on seeing the building. It was a 3 storey apartment like building bang in a residential area sharing a common wall with a private house. No play area. Not even a small garden. A tall ugly, monstrous building at the corner of a road.
She was tested on Mathematical ability and Creative English. I knew she had deliberately messed up her test. I wasn't expecting a positive response from the school anyways. It took me by surprise when the Principal called me after 7 days and asked me to come.
She showed me Oashe's test scripts. Her handwriting was extremely poor. But the essay that she wrote was well written. She was asked to write about her school. I really liked the humorous way she started the essay. ( She showed me the test script of another candidate whose writing was well formed but the essay was completely bookish. No creativity.) The Principal told me that she wouldn't admit a child such as Oashe whose writing is juvenile. That was expected.
Clearly, Oashe had deliberately messed up this test primarily because there was no playground or a clean girl's washroom. The Principal refused to read her test script because her writing was bad.
The school do not encourage student to think out of box. Students are expected to mug up the text and write verbatim. A trained teacher with years of experience should be able to decipher a student's mental state from her writing. (One can always discern a hurried writing.)
I wondered why she called me to her office to say that my daughter was not selected. She could have done that over phone. I guess she wanted me to negotiate and and fall on her feet.
I went to this school twice and disliked the unprofessional approach. The Principal did not honor the appointment and kept me waiting for almost 3 hours. (This was unacceptable. If the head of the institution is undisciplined, I wonder what example would she set.) I thought of leaving many times but the school reviews were all positive. So, I waited for 3 hours only to be told to come the next day for talks.
Without arguing, I walked out to return the next day and only to be told to get my daughter for a test the day after. Need I say that I was seething but felt helpless.
Oashe stood open-mouthed on seeing the building. It was a 3 storey apartment like building bang in a residential area sharing a common wall with a private house. No play area. Not even a small garden. A tall ugly, monstrous building at the corner of a road.
She was tested on Mathematical ability and Creative English. I knew she had deliberately messed up her test. I wasn't expecting a positive response from the school anyways. It took me by surprise when the Principal called me after 7 days and asked me to come.
She showed me Oashe's test scripts. Her handwriting was extremely poor. But the essay that she wrote was well written. She was asked to write about her school. I really liked the humorous way she started the essay. ( She showed me the test script of another candidate whose writing was well formed but the essay was completely bookish. No creativity.) The Principal told me that she wouldn't admit a child such as Oashe whose writing is juvenile. That was expected.
Clearly, Oashe had deliberately messed up this test primarily because there was no playground or a clean girl's washroom. The Principal refused to read her test script because her writing was bad.
The school do not encourage student to think out of box. Students are expected to mug up the text and write verbatim. A trained teacher with years of experience should be able to decipher a student's mental state from her writing. (One can always discern a hurried writing.)
I wondered why she called me to her office to say that my daughter was not selected. She could have done that over phone. I guess she wanted me to negotiate and and fall on her feet.
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