Who I Am

What lead me to Montessori?

Whilst in school I'd babysit as well as tutor cousins, neighbours and friends often. It is little wonder then that ‘The Babysitters’ Club’ series was one of my favourites growing up! Stories were brought to life when I witnessed my sweet little cousins being raised by a beautiful village right before my very own eyes. My tryst with families and children alike carried on well into college in various capacities such as early years' classroom assistant, tutor, babysitter, volunteer at children's homes etc. whilst I was busy pursuing my undergraduate degrees in Advertising followed by Law. I then decided that what I was so passionate about as a hobby was something I wanted to pursue as a career and thus commenced my foray into the magical world of Montessori 15 years ago. I decided to pursue the AMI Montessori Primary (21/2-6years) Diploma from the Ratan Tata Institute, Mumbai, and later a Masters in Early Childhood Education with a Montessori Concentration from the University of Hartford, Connecticut. Another Diploma that I consider to be my absolute favourite is the Post Diploma Observation Course which helped offer a more magnified view of the child’s needs and interests. My love for and curiosity about children under the age of 3 further led me to pursue the AMI Montessori Assistants Certificate (0-3 years)

Throughout my journey as a full-time Montessori Educator, I have undertaken various refresher courses and workshops to continue honing my skills and gain a better understanding of the child.

What I loved about being a Montessori Educator and the things I brought into my environment?

My practice has always been deeply rooted in a desire to nourish the mind, body and soul. Everything I do stems from all that I've experienced and learnt over the years. I've been able to incorporate into my own Montessori environments mindfulness, yoga, cooking inspired by Indian/ Ayurvedic principles, music and movement, gardening, needlework, care for class pets etc. which have gone a long way in supporting the holistic development of the child and inculcating a love for all living beings. Words can never describe the joy of watching this harmonious community of busy little workers marching into school each day with a spring in their step, armed with a determination to accomplish tasks simply guided by their own developmental needs and interests. So whilst someone was busy cleaning windows, someone else had decided to learn about fractions, someone was engrossed in a research study learning the names for the different kinds of clouds in the sky and yet another child was helping a younger friend clean the guinea pig cage while another group of children were busy preparing snacks to share with their classmates - All this magic unfolding under the very same roof in the most inexplicable way!

Visitors observing our Children’s Houses were amazed to see such a busy yet peaceful community with the teachers often fading into the background only stepping in to help when absolutely necessary.

What am I aiming to achieve as a Parent Mentor?

As a little girl, I received labels such as naughty, loud, talkative etc. I saw my mum leave parent teacher conferences quite disheartened and worried. Until I met the best teacher of my life who with her compassionate aura truly eased my already exhausted single mum's nerves and brought about a shift in how I viewed myself. And that's when I learnt a very important lesson which I carry with me till date - the very integral role of a teacher in offering healing not just to the child but also the parent.

It has, therefore, always been my personal mission to bridge the gap between school and home. This skill was further honed when I took a course during my Master’s, namely,’Working with Families’ wherein I learnt of so many tools to bring the community and the school together ensuring the holistic well-being of the adult along with the very important task of supporting the child. I implemented all these resources in my daily practice laying great emphasis on my relationship with the families of the children. I was able to forge strong ties with all the families during my time as an educator and I truly cherish these relationships. But what I came to realise was that there is still a wide gap that needs to be bridged between homes and school.

And this deep, burning desire to further support families even outside the classroom in the most sacred journey of life has brought me here today.