Just as a ripple expands outwards in ever widening circles, love and kindness touches and affects everyone it brushes with its goodness. It nurtures, it changes, it completes a person. “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see,” writes Mark Twain. The children’s house (TCH), Bruas is one such preschool where love and kindness abound. Nestled among the quiet streets and verdant greenery of Damansara Heights, TCH Bruas is a preschool where nurturing and compassion comes naturally.
With infants, toddlers and preschoolers in their care, there is always something going on somewhere every minute of every day. Each day the coming together of the children, the parents and the teachers creates an atmosphere of celebration. Aunty Catherine, the principal of TCH Bruas and her team celebrate the children, they celebrate knowledge and they celebrate the warmth and love of the children.
A fully qualified Montessorian, Aunty Catherine says, “Our positive and cheerful outlooks are all down to the TCH culture of grace and courtesy. We never raise our voices to the children or each other and we respect each other as special and unique. Each with something to contribute and each with something to share.” During a tour of the school, Aunty Catherine and her staff addressed each child by name and there was never a harsh word spoken.
Potentially problematic situations, arguments, disagreements or just petty situations among the children were handled promptly, professionally and with positivity. As Aunty Catherine and her team embrace the TCH culture, every day though situations are the same, they are ever fresh and different. They do not watch the situations’ spontaneity unfolding from a distance, they become an expression of it.
The curriculum and syllabus at TCH Bruas is the same as in any of the other TCH preschools. Once you walk through the big red double doors of TCH Bruas you will enter into a treasure trove of Montessori teaching and learning resources. This is a ‘prepared environment’ where every area is purposefully designed and fully equipped with complementary Montessori materials to cater to the needs of each individual child, be it physical, social, emotional, intellectual or creative. Everything is designed to induce and nurture independent learning and exploration.
More compatible bedfellows you will never find besides Montessori and the TCH culture. This synergy has been cultivated for almost 30 years – ever since TCH introduced the Montessori Method to the country. Being the premier Montessori preschool in Malaysia, TCH and its Montessori ways are well known. However, there are also specially designed programmes for infants as well – and it is not just feeding them, changing their diapers and watching them sleep! Special programmes have been designed to stimulate the babies and develop their sensory and cognitive faculties such as Baby Sensory, Baby Sunshine, Baby Art, Baby Massage as well as water play. The infant care area is a section on its own, at the back of the preschool where it is cooler, more shady and quieter. The environment is just as spacious, clean and well-resourced with its own play area, changing area, pantry and sleep area. Everything has been developed, designed and built with the care, comfort and well-being of the child in mind.
TCH Bruas is like a home away from home for the teachers, children and parents alike. Its unique homely atmosphere encourages bonding at all levels. Parents are encouraged to participate in their children’s activities and the children are encouraged to practice what they have learnt in school at home - developing a strong sense of belonging and community as well as pride in the family unit.
Every day the sun rises. But every sunrise is uniquely beautiful. So it is with TCH Bruas. As we journey along life’s path we will stumble, we will fall, we might even lose our way. But with Aunty Catherine and her team at TCH Bruas, there will always remain a special place where you will find, “……a heart that never hardens, a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.” – Charles Dickens
In true Montessorian fashion, TCH Bruas developes a unique child that is independent, forward looking and has a passion for life-long learning.
