Could you provide an introduction of yourself to our audience?
I have always introduced myself as a teacher. But having journeyed
through the education space for over three decades now, I have realised that I
am learning and will always be a learner. It’s a stance I shall never forego.
Having started at the age of 19 as a teacher, with a burning desire to change
the world then, I now know that I have been the one who is changing, both
within and without. The word ‘teacher’ is limited in many ways. I think I am an
expanded, extended version of the term. I think I have grown into the roles of
a teacher educator, facilitator of learning, edupreneur, thought leader,
researcher, and a radical thinker who can shatter conventions surrounding what
the meaning of life and education is and can be. And this has happened organically,
gradually, as a process over a long period of time. When one is continuously
dedicated to one’s purpose, one finds being drawn into the roles that manifest
that purpose into ideas and reality. I think that is what has happened to me.
Could you tell us about your ventures and the range of services they offer?
There are two major areas of education I attempt to address through my
work: professional development of teachers and creating an open learning
environment for our children.
Teacher Ink is an
initiative I started with the aim of helping teachers take charge of their own
professional growth. While our educational policies reflect the change that is
direly needed in the educational landscape, often teachers on the ground, who
are the ones who can make this change happen, are unaware or unprepared. They
lack new-age pedagogical skills required to translate those aspirations into
actual teaching and learning material in their classrooms. The quality of
teachers is a growing concern in our country. If we wish to help this
generation of learners to deal with the world they will face as adults,
teachers have to gain a thorough understanding of this invisible future and the
skills that young people will require. This cannot happen without teachers and
school leaders becoming learners and taking their role seriously as
academicians and researchers themselves. Through Teacher Ink, we offer short-
and long-term teacher preparation development courses covering all the aspects
of teaching and learning and educational leadership. We have created a platform
for teachers where they can network and share best practices. The platform also
aims at changing the teacher image from ‘just a teacher’ to a ‘teacher
professional.’ We also help people who wish to create new off-the-grid schools
or learning spaces with ideas and alternate curriculum and school design.
The other very new initiative is Skandamitra Open Learning Resource
Centre (SOLRC). In my years as an educator who has been part of all kinds
of schools, I have seen a great number of children struggling in schools, not
just academically but also socially and emotionally. Children are drawn into a
race they have not signed up for and end up being marginalised and hurt
(emotionally and psychologically) in schools either for being different or
being non-achievers.
Skandamitra is based on the belief that true and meaningful learning can
happen anywhere. We challenge the myth that academic excellence can be achieved
only inside a school. Skandamitra places itself in the real world, and children
learn in it. As the name suggests, we are a ‘resource centre’ for families who
wish to homeschool their children or parents who have children struggling at
school or want their children out of the rat race to pursue passions like
sports or music or have children with learning difficulties.
We provide customised and personalised curriculum, facilitators,
experts, experiences, books, materials, a community, and technological
resources as required by the families that become members. It’s really a
vibrant library, in that sense. We have created what we call ‘The Skandamitra
Way of Learning’ that begins with inquiry and dialogue and culminates with
reflective action. While children engage in real-world experiences and
projects, we ensure that knowledge and skills are constructed through academic engagement
with the community and the world around them. In this sense, academic
achievement is not reduced to marks and percentages but acquired as a tool to
understand the world and grow as a whole person. In fact, our learners are the
ones who have an active voice in their own assessments. The best part is that
Skandamitra offers training and coaching not only in math and language and
other scholastic subjects but also in areas like filmmaking, photography, art,
yoga, theatre, fashion design, carpentry, and many other interesting careers.
Children may take up open school exams like the NIOS or Cambridge or any other
board of their choice in their exam years. We already have proof of concept
with learners who came to us with reading and writing challenges and are now
going way beyond what is expected of learners their age.
Both these initiatives are in their nascent stages, and I would
certainly need people interested in education to join hands with me. I would
like to have SOLRCs in many places in the city and country.
What motivated you to become an entrepreneur, and how has your leadership style driven the success of your ventures?
I did not plan it. It just came about as a result of continuous work in
the field, deep thinking about issues around education, countless conversations
with like-minded people, and endless thinking about what can be done to change
the way our young people experience education today. The people who have
invested in Skandamitra and are running the place today are the students I
taught when they were in school ages ago! It’s like coming full circle, really.
Teacher Ink was the result of a conversation between two friends. My
business partner at Teacher Ink is my dearest friend, Susmita Shroff. We
registered our initiative and then sat back. I think my line was, “Now let
people really interested in teachers come to us.” And we waited. School owners
who were part of a program that I taught were the ones who came to me first.
And then on, we have worked with a countless number of teachers and leaders.
If you ask me about my ‘leadership style,’ then it would be hard to
answer. Personally, I believe leadership is an attitude. Leading is not about
being on top. It is about listening to what is happening around you, being
aware, and giving others a chance to voice what they think and feel. Of course,
there are times when you have to be the ‘leader,’ but even that need not be
loud, if you see what I mean. We don’t have to beat a drum about it. It is more
about allowing people to come to believe that you have what it takes to earn or
deserve that title. It is also about letting your team believe they are leaders
themselves and providing them the space and opportunities to be one. This means
allowing people to try out their ideas, even when you feel it might not work.
I am not sure if I can define success conventionally. In financial
terms, maybe teachers of the world don’t really succeed. But it is an
aspiration that the ventures I have started allow everybody involved to taste
success and prosperity. But the real success we have achieved is that we are
known for quality, sincerity, and the authenticity of our purpose that shows
when we engage with teachers, schools, and people we team with.
Could you share us your professional journey, highlighting significant
milestones and achievements?
It has been a long journey, and I think I need another lifetime to do
all that I have in mind. Trying to change the landscape of education is a
tricky purpose. Every individual is free to interpret what education means to
them. So, to work around it for collective social impact is also a very
personal endeavour. But we also meet fellow travellers, and some share our
insights, if not goals, and then we choose to work with them. I was a simple
teacher of English language and Social Sciences to all age groups of children
before moving into teacher education. I have designed a teacher preparation
course that is accredited by a university and over a hundred training modules
covering various aspects of teaching, learning, and educational
leadership.
I believe a great way of helping more children is to work with a great
number of teachers. I have placed more importance on learning than experience.
I take up courses, self-study using the internet, and I grab opportunities that
help me learn and grow. I am currently pursuing my Professional Doctorate and
looking at developing a conversation-based model for teacher professional
development. I think once I do that, it will be a big milestone for me. But
otherwise, every single day is a milestone. I count my milestones with teachers
coming back to me and sharing how some of the things they learnt in my sessions
changed their classroom environments or when children at SOLRC amaze me with
what they have managed to accomplish.
Could you highlight some of the notable projects that your ventures have
successfully completed?
I have started projects, and they are all work-in-progress. I wonder
when I will ‘complete’ things. Education is a field where there’s nothing
called ‘completion.’ I have initiated Teacher Ink and Teacher Intersect (a
membership-based platform for teachers to network), Skandamitra Open Learning
Resource Centre and I think they are really great ideas. As a professional, I
have designed curriculum and have written a lot of articles on different
aspects of education. I work with individuals who wish to rewrite the narrative
of how learning may be envisioned through their school or educational projects.
I have two big ideas now—creating an academy for teacher excellence and
writing a book compiling my reflections. For the first one, I am looking for
individuals/groups who can join hands with me. For the second, I have to sit
down at my desk. Fingers crossed!
What are your areas of expertise, and how have these skills contributed
to your success?
One of my greatest strengths is clarity in thinking and my ability to
communicate this thinking with others. The modules I design are research-based,
well thought through, and presented in a hands-on manner for teachers to
experience direct takeaways. As a learner, I have been able to master
pedagogical skills, and that has really helped me to demonstrate this mastery
in both training sessions as well as with teaching children. I also question a
lot. Asking good questions about content, working processes, or everyday things
allows my team or my audience to think better and reflect or draw insights.
How do you stay informed about industry trends and innovations, and what
advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
I do read a great deal. I keep myself updated about what is happening in
the world and try to relate my content with them while training or teaching. As
mentioned earlier, I take up interesting courses or just self-explore a topic
that I might have heard about for the first time. I like road trips and
travelling as well. It is a great way of experiencing yourself and seeing what
is happening in other learning spaces. I organize a program called Teacher
Travelogue at Teacher Ink. Here we take groups of teachers to
unconventional learning spaces in India and around the world. It is a massive
learning experience to see how people have shattered glass ceilings with
amazing education ideas and great inspiration for me and the teachers who
travel with me.
For ideas… hmm… I really don’t think I’m qualified to give them. I think
one has to follow what one loves to do most, hang in there when things are
down, and allow good things to happen. In my case, this is all I know and can
do. So, I engage in it with every fibre of my being. Everything else is a
consequence of that engagement. But I know that I have a long way to go yet.
Sandhya Gatti
7406534875 / 9538570222
Post a Comment