Rediscover the magic of learning with Payal Kogar

My journey started as a young girl in India. I attended the University of Delhi to complete my graduate and postgraduate studies in business. I come from a family that is really rich in ethos and values, and I think that is what I have taken with me as I’ve traversed through India, Singapore, and, finally, Bangkok.

When I moved to Singapore, I began working at a school called EtonHouse. In Singapore, I furthered my studies in Early Childhood Education (ECE) while working at the school. I had the privilege of working closely with the owner, and we set up the second and third branches of EtonHouse together. My family and I moved to Bangkok at the tail-end of 1999, after spending almost four years in Singapore.

Since my experience was working in schools, those were the sort of positions I was applying for in Bangkok. When I started at ELC, the school was very small. When I look back on my journey, I feel as though I have grown with the school. In the last 25 years that I have been here, it’s been a joy to see the school grow.

Not just physically but also pedagogically, deepening our philosophy of listening to the children, nurturing their voices, and evolving with them. I had the privilege of working closely with one of the founders of the Reggio Emilia approach, Giovanni Piazza, for over a decade as we gave shape to our pedagogical philosophy.

So, my role actually has two aspects to it. One is a micro aspect, while the other is a macro aspect. The “micro” aspect is where I actually work with the children. I love to work with children. It’s my joy! I work on projects where we are listening and documenting with the children. At ELC, we believe children do not come to us as empty vessels waiting to be filled but rather as curious individuals filled with ideas and experiences, so the role of the teacher is not just to transmit information to them but to actually listen to the children and construct knowledge together.

That is the job of a project coordinator at the school, and what I was doing for a while. As head of the project, however, my job has a “macro” view to it. I get to administrate projects conducted by different groups of children across the school and ensure we continue growing in our pedagogical philosophy.

If you remain stationary in today’s world, you’ll fall behind. You have to see whether you’re doing the best you can. There’s always room for improvement! That’s part of my job, too, connecting with experts from around the world and overseeing how we implement our vision, mission, and pedagogical philosophy school-wide.

A day at work involves doing all the things mentioned above. Some hours, I can be found working with groups of children, interacting with them, planning for explorations, and documenting their project explorations. The other part involves meeting with the project team to see how projects are developing in different parts of the school. I have to check the progress of the projects and see if any support is needed.

Our school’s philosophy is to design a nature-rich environment that acts as a third teacher, inspiring connection, exploration, and meaningful growth. A large part of my job is also to make sure the school’s environment reflects who we are. Here, I work with the teachers, ensuring that our Reggio-inspired approach, which views children as competent, capable, and full of potential, is brought to life in every classroom.

This year, we plan on creating a new Theatre of Imagination for our kindergarten; this space in our school is where children explore ideas through the language of imagination and storytelling. I will be collaborating with the kindergarten team and the children. My job is a lot of this—working with children, looking after the environment, and tackling the big picture. The big picture here is the ideology. How is it developing? Where are the gaps? What do we need to do better?

I have worked on many projects, and it is a joy for me to explore new territories and make inter-disciplinary connections. One project we offered our children, nine to 11 years of age, last year was: ‘Contours of the Unknown: A Journey Towards Sustainability’.

We delved into the concept of sustainability through word inquiry and group dialogues. Practical applications included research within a “rewilding space”, where children examined natural growth and deliberated on the extent of human intervention. Through varied activities like these, children hone essential 21st-century skills including creativity, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, and research competence.

There is also a focus on the social and emotional well-being of the child, making sure each child feels safe, seen, and heard as they develop these skills. We also ask the children: What have you learned? Some children thought they learned patience; others, critical thinking and communication.

As teachers, we believe that as long as our children are able to develop these transferable skills and develop as global citizens, then we’ve done our job.

I believe every project we undertake at our school values differences because we listen to the children. At ELC, we don’t adhere to the idea that one idea is right or wrong because when children negotiate ideas, listen to each other, and discuss things in groups, they are developing individuality.

Allowing the children to make what some of us call, ‘mistakes’ is what we believe to be important steps in any journey of learning. Something I learned in my global citizenship course from UCL is that a global citizen is one who articulates ideas, has the confidence to share their beliefs, and can negotiate and collaborate in today’s world.

The work we do at ELC is special, rooted in the belief that education is deeply connected to each child’s experiences and curiosities. That’s why we work hard to give this kind of meaningful learning to as many children as we can.

I’d like to change your question a little because I don’t think it’s important why I chose ELC. I think what matters is why I chose to stay for so many years. I started to see what this way of teaching and learning can offer children, and not just my own.

Inviting children to co-construct knowledge, not just memorise data and information, empowers children to grow with confidence, creativity, and purpose. Once I started to believe in its philosophy, I wanted to be a part of this place and see it grow and blossom. Working like this allows us to work with new ideas every year.

As an educator, there’s a lot you can get from it. ELC encourages professional development and supports teachers in their journey to improve their practice. In the last few years, I’ve visited Reggio Emilia, completed a global citizenship course from UCL, and a course on documentation from Harvard.

Every parent wants the best for their child. There are a few things I could presume to draw the Indian community. I feel that ELC is a space where children are loved and respected; it’s a space where every child’s voice is not only heard, but valued. It’s a space where the thoughtfully designed environment acts as an invitation to wonder and discover, where every detail is crafted to support how children learn best.

Our small class sizes and hands-on, inquiry-based approach allow each child to learn in a way that suits them. Our educators are deeply committed to supporting every child’s wellbeing, creativity, and confidence.

I love going out for walks. Over the weekend, I can be found at Benchasiri Park and sometimes, the other parks around Bangkok as well. Sleep is also important. When you work in a school, it’s long hours and early mornings—weekends are all about catching up on sleep. I love to spend time with friends, but quiet, long walks are my nirvana. A perfect weekend to me is a morning walk, followed by breakfast and brunch. I love to go hunting for good brunch places to try.

My support system is my husband and my mother-in-law. I think that they’ve always encouraged and supported me to continue working. As a woman who wants to balance home, career, and children, I don’t believe in the saying ‘women can do it all.’ There are only 24 hours in a day. I don’t think you can do it all, but you can do things you prioritise, and you can achieve a lot if you have the right support.

I am really lucky to have that support from both my husband and my mother-in-law, and, actually, my children as well. They respect the fact that I have been there for them, but there are times when I can’t because I’m working. To have that understanding is really important.

It is good to put yourself out of your comfort zone, I think. This interview is out of my comfort zone. [Laughs]. Moving from India to Singapore, Singapore to Bangkok—decidedly not in my comfort zone. Starting a new job, taking on a new role, all of these things are out of my comfort zone, but these are the times you truly learn. This is when you grow, and so, even though my gut instinct is to say, ‘No, I don’t want to do this!’ My mind pushes me and says, ‘Let’s give it a shot’.

Like all industries, education is also changing. My advice would be… To be open to change, and to carry on learning. I’ve learnt some, I have a lot more to learn. ‘Never stop learning’ has been my mantra. If you continue to learn and are willing to put yourself on unknown ground, I’m sure you’ll find your rightful place.