SURREYCANADA: He is the only fair-haired kid in school. The only boy who can task his parents for help with Punjabi homework but eight-year-old Gian Mellette says being the lone Caucasian in Surreys Khalsa School is no big deal.
I like it here don’t feel that different he says chatting recently before recess at the Sikh independent school. I have a lot of friends.
Later is the entire primary school takes to the playground for a 10minute break from lessons its hard to spot Gian in the scramble of legs and sticks as he and his pals play ball hockey.
The Khalsa School might seem like an odd place for a child from a Western culture particularly as the choice among public and private schools is growing. Gains parents say the features which make the school distinctive are traditions that they found attractive. Gians mother Grace Holder bourn says after a few years of home-schooling their son they wanted a school that would match their ethical and moral standards.
Each day at Khalsa begins with prayer and meditation Teachers students and visitors must wear scarves or turbans to show respect for the temple located within the building. And the entire school population is vegetarian.
We looked at different alimentative Holder Baum says This school is compatible with our spiritual practices. It’s important to us that there’s time devoted to spiritualism as part of education.
Holderbaum and her husband Dennis Millette both Canadian born are also planning to send their younger son Andre to Khalsa.
In September the five-year-old will climb aboard the Khalsa bus with his brother to begin all-day kindergarten.
Although regular academic courses at the school are taught in English students are also required to study French and Punjabi. By the time they finish Grade 10 the final year at the school they have been taught to speak three languages.
Vice-principal Ray Brock who spent 37 years working in the public school system before coming out of retirement to assist at Khalsa school predicts the number of non Sikh students will grow as more parents find out the school welcomes everyone. Those who don’t follow the Sikh religion he says can simply use prayer time to meditate. I find it a very peaceful time. Its wonderful to start your day with quiet reflection.
The schools respect for tradition may also attract more non-Sikh students. It’s a closed protected society. We use traditional teaching methods the children wear uniforms. They can’t have the school grounds and there’s no fighting.
Teachers at the school concentrate on academics and homework from Grade One Its the kind of structured non on sense atmosphere more disgruntled public school parents are starting to demand Such concerns also spawned the Traditional Model school which opens next September in Surrey promising to focus on basic learning skills. Public schools lost some of their support when they embraced so called progressive teaching methods Brock says. While he supports many of the ideas of Year 2000 the program lost credibility over things such as anecdotal report cards and vague concepts like child-centered learning.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 1, 1994
