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Looking back at life, l often think about what all I have missed, I often compare my early experiences with children of today. The preschool culture was not that predominant, as the joint family culture taught us the values, it was a trial and error formula and it worked. Today, with both the parents working and a hectic lifestyle, play schools however should ideally be better structured and error free as the schools become the second home for a child. At the same time, the child needs to be gently channelised without being made to feel regimented. The teacher plays an important role. She needs to be adaptable and constantly willing to improvise. Safety and security should always be the top priority. Too much of stress on learning should not be laid. The three most important qualities - a teacher should have are love, a pleasing personality and patience.

There is an Irish proverb, ‘A son is a son till he gets a wife, but a daughter is a daughter all her life’. Somehow this proverb has played out in my lifetime and been a major factor in my time management.
I got married to an officer in the Indian Navy in 1990 after which I had a lot of spare time. So I made friends and socialised a lot. I did the normal things, had a child, visited my parents and in-laws from time to time, moved on transfer twice and made new friends wherever I went. Then in 1996 when my husband was on outstation appointments for extended periods, two of us friends out of the blue applied for a job in Naval Public School, Vishakapatnam. It suited me perfectly since my son and I left for school and returned in the same bus. I was occupied, I learnt so much while on the job and there was a nice pattern to life.
Two transfers later and a two-year stint at Mount Saint Mary’s Delhi Cantonment, I was with another yet school going child, which was when I joined Bloom Public School, New Delhi making the journey to and from school with my daughter. I finally left Bloom when my daughter was in Class 12. My tenure here lasted more than a decade and gave me a platform for transitioning into a new professional identity. During these years I delved into NGO activities, exchange programmes, educational quality standards and outdoor excursions all of which greatly broad-based my profile.
In 2015 when I joined the Mothers Pride/Presidium group of schools I decided to leave behind class room instructions and take on greater and wider responsibilities. I became a Director with their affiliated NGO named Sparsh and came into contact with children with special needs. Here I was given the opportunity to make a major difference to the neglected few whose voice gets drowned in the din and cacophony of everyday life. Without boasting I would like to say that I gave the organisation the face lift and visibility far beyond expectations. World Disability Day now became a very significant day in the calendar for me. In the meantime, I got acquainted and affiliated with other organisations such as British Council, Pearson Education, TERI and many other well-known institutions as a trainer or consultant.
I began my career with just a piece of chalk in my hand in class and a red pen at home. These were the only props way back then. Rest was left to my imagination for getting my message across. The scene has changed so much now with so much of information available literally on our palms. Since I have witnessed so in the field of education over the years, I felt that I am in a position to teach the teachers and principals. So by 2018 I realised that I should be spreading my message to wider audiences in more places rather than being confined to Delhi. So I ventured into consultancy for multiple institutions offering advice on best educational practices and hand holding top managements in setting up schools and enhancing their image and brand value.
So today if I ask myself as to what a career in education has given me I can say that it has given me satisfaction and allowed me to be a complete mother, daughter and wife and learn everyday .I joined the profession whenever it was convenient for me. I took a break when it was inconvenient to continue. I was accepted back without much fuss. No one set any boundaries for my performance and achievements. I have travelled to almost the furthest extremities of India on various educational assignments. I have gone abroad a few times on assignment too.I have balanced my family life with my career and visited places far and wide. I have enjoyed calling so many people ‘my children’. There is no greater pleasure than being a part of someone’s success story, no matter how small my role may have been. And best of all is that I didn’t have to unnecessarily prove myself to be equal to men or send other such meaningless messages to society. Women in other careers often have to go through such needless exercises.