Exclusive Interview: Yogeshwar Krishna Montessori Preschool, Malad West by First Crayon
Tell us more about yourself and your staff
Our staff is highly qualified which includes a B. Ed with an institution of her own and an E.C.C.Ed. qualified teacher. I have a yoga teacher who would be teaching intermediate level yoga. I have been playing international tennis for a for the last 20 years and have my own tennis academy. So I will be teaching sports. We believe that if a child’s development has to be holistic, it cannot be all about play. Play has to be constructive. If you want to learn, learn in a good way and if you want to develop, develop holistically.
What is your teaching philosophy?
We aim to provide Vedic knowledge. Research shows that from the ages of 0 to 6, you can classically condition a child. He/she might not remember most of the conditioning but it will subconsciously play a role in the child’s development. We provide Vedic knowledge but we don’t expect them to remember the shlokas or mantras. We don’t like to tell students what to think. We like to teach them how to think.
What are your key insights as an educator?
As an educator, we are not supposed to tell children what to think. We need to empower them to think for themselves. We need to leave certain things to their judgment. We train them to be on the right path. In this day and age, everyone has to fend for themselves. Competition is tough, people have interviews for playschools which is ridiculous. We cannot expect the best out of everyone who comes. It is our job as a teacher to bring out the best in our students. No matter where that kid has come from. Our duty is to empower them to take their own decision and think for themselves.
What do parents love about your school?
The Vedic education. I was annoyed that good education and convent education started being the same. People started thinking that if you need an English medium education, go to a convent school. There a lot of things in our heritage and ancestry that we can learn from. We have a richer and more ancient culture as compared to the Western world. But we are following them. There are uniquenesses in our culture that do not match with the ideology of western world. Education will be more meaningful when we relate it to our culture and traditions.
What is your advice for parents who would like to apply for admission to your school?
The only thing that I need is your support. Without parents’ support, no school has a power to transform the student. The teachers, the school and the parents are a team behind the student. The student is the performer. We make them who they are. Without parents’ support, it is not going to happen.
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