In the sophisticated urban township of Mont Kiara with its gleaming office towers and condominiums of glass, concrete and steel, there is a delightful little preschool named Geni I. This kindergarten was founded and is run by its principal Madam Serena Kim. At first glance Geni I looks very much like any one of your everyday run of the mill kindergarten. But sometimes we look so hard and long for something that we fail to notice the gem that is right in front of us!
Enter Geni I with an open mind and they will capture your heart and enrich your mind. As is in many of the preschools of today, the curriculum and syllabus at Geni I is a combination of the best practices of the various schools of preschool thought. Uniquely developed by Madam Serena, it has influences of Montessori, Reggio, IPC and draws from materials as diverse as Gabe, English Egg, Step into Reading and even Yoga.
The International Preschool Curriculum (IPC) is among one of the most researched international programmes for early childhood education available today. It is a comprehensive, thematic, creative curriculum, with a clear process of learning and with specific learning goals for every subject, for international mindedness and for personal learning.
Step into Reading Series is from Penguin Random House. It is a comprehensive leveled reader program designed to give every child a successful reading experience. With five steps to reading proficiency, the line includes popular and licensed characters, non-fiction, phonics readers, sticker readers, and more, all illustrated with colorful art and/or photographs.
The Gabe Education Programme is introduced in sequential order to teach a variety of concepts, all falling under 3 forms: Knowledge (math/science), Life (relating to the child’s world) and Beauty (abstract patterns/designs). It is believed that children learn best through guided play and tangible, hands on experience. Each child experiences a delightful educational journey through play. Unique ideas, stories and reflections are drawn out from the child by way of specially designed balls, blocks, sticks, rings, and beads. Gabe toys are thought to be the world’s first educational toys.
Geni I also has a multi-sensory programme called Story Chant. They also offer Music and Drama, Dance and Movement and Fun with Yoga. Through their creative use of materials and teaching methods, subjects such as languages, art and craft, mathematics and science will never be the same again. How can a child not enjoy a subject called Creative Math Thoughts (Mathematics) or Lets be Creative and Play with Imagination (Arts and Craft and Origami).
Throughout the year Geni I will have a different theme to celebrate each month, with each month having one event indoors and one event being held outdoors. There are drama and musical performances by the students plus field trips and excursions to places of interest as dictated by the theme for that month. Recognising the family unit as an important part of a child’s growing years, active parent participation is an integral part of the preschool education at Geni I.
With so much on her plate and so much going on around her, it was a surprise that Madam Serena found time for this interview. The very affable and always smiling principal of Geni I says, “I have been in the Early Childhood Education mainstream for almost 20 years now, since the days in my native South Korea. At Geni I, we are like a very close-knit family, my teachers and I. Plus I am only one half of a dynamic duo. The other half is my trusted and very capable partner, Madam Christine!” With patience, dedication, care and love in abundance, it is no surprise that Geni I is such a bright, charming and joyful preschool.
From a very personal but basic need, Madam Serena’s odyssey has lasted 11 years. Gone are the autumn leaves of bright orange, yellow, red and brown. The cold winter’s chill is but a memory. Having fallen in love with Malaysia, she is no longer a stranger in a strange land and is the personification of, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, its about learning how to dance in the rain.”
And to Geni I I’d say, “You give me reasons to smile and reasons to laugh, but most of all you give me memories that I will never forget.”
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