Loving ISH!

Its been 10 days since the International School of Helsinki threw its doors open to a new term. The school is everything I expected and so much more. A small community- just about 300 kids from K1 to K12- the ISH is a dream come true for any kid!



Why I'm loving it:

- V who started 2 nd grade has 13 kids in his class with Mrs. L as his classteacher. She gives the impression of being this warm and kind grandmother who somehow lost her way and ended up in a 2nd grade classroom! Within a week, I got to know more about Mrs. L's health issues, dog and husband than about where she's taught before or the curriculum to be covered. V rattled off snippets about her every evening at dinnertime. When I asked him how he got to know so much, so soon about his teacher, he simply said " we take breaks inbetween work and we share a lot (Good Lord!!) about ourselves. Afterall, we are classmates". Huh, not Mrs.L right? She's your teacher.
"Of course ma, but she's also my classmate....we share the same room"!! Love the way V thinks of Mrs. L as his classmate and not his form teacher!

-S's K2 teacher is a propah, pretty, and very young British lady who I've observed is forever on her knees looking into the eyes of some 5 year old's, listening to every word as if the information coming out is going to change the face of the earth the next minute. I was curious as to what these little imps could possibly say that holds Ms K in trance-like concentration. I got to know soon, as we were early one morning when yet again Ms K was with one of her VIPs. And this is what I heard- " Ms K I'm sorry but I think I forgot to wear my underpants today"!!

- Inspite of the bum skimming shorts and weird hairdo's I've noticed the upper school kids actually holding doors, greeting and even smiling at parents (even the ones they don't know as yet...like me!). To me, that's a great sign and one that communicates about the kind of values that the school imparts.

-The boundaries are seamless. Upper School, Lower school, Faculty, Staff- these are all just words and in paper. In reality, everybody knows everybody and they all work under one roof. Its lovely to watch an 8th grader casually ruffle a kindergarten kid's hair while ambling into the cafeteria. And its equally great to watch the little ones jump and shout as they excitedly run to an older friend!

- The Mad Minute is something like we have at home. Only difference is that ours is not restricted by time! V tells me the Mad Minute is a time to get all the madness out!Sometimes they go all nuts and finish 15 sums in a minute or simply act crazy and silly and then feel better! What a brilliant idea. Every 7 year old needs that release of pent up craziness!

- S's class is huge and even houses a mini icecream parlour. Kids take turns in being the icecream seller and I was allowed once and only once (by my daughter) to be on the other side and choose my flavours. As a mother I was of course allowed to pay with kisses :-)

- V remembers and associates all his classmates with an adjective that describes their most striking quality(a super idea implemented by their Music teacher). For example he will say something like " Bouncy Bruno and Rock N Roll Romy ate lunch with me today". And to his friends, he is 'Voracious Vaibhav'!

- They are all off on an all day picnic on Friday! S will be at her teddy bear picnic when she and the other kindergartners+teachers will bring along their favourite teddies for some outdoor fun. V and the rest of the Lower school are going to some faraway hillside to bond over food and games. No packed lunches on Friday.. Yippee!

Its like a whole new world that's opened up for us in Helsinki. And the more I interact, talk and chat with parents from Argentina, Lithuania, Moscow and Chicago, I just realize how different we are culturally and yet how very similar our fears and hopes and lives are!

Looking forward to more of the ISH experience!!