Learning, Love, Self-worth & Empathy

When you walk into Redwood Montessori, the first thing that will get your attention are the heart-warming and lively artistic works of the students on display. The Montessori was established in 2011 with 11 children and has now become a well-known institution just through word-of-mouth. Hands-on teachers and founders Shankari Kamakshi Subbiah and Madhura Visweswaran speak to Team Culturama about their passion and goals.

They say it takes a village to raise a child – what are your views on it?

It is a beautiful African proverb and we agree with it unreservedly. With the breakdown of the joint family system, emergence of the nuclear families and couples migrating to new cities with no familial support, this has become essential. Dr Montessori believed that we live in a world village, we must honour the work of those who came before us and support one another.

Education doesn’t mean only academics, it is the all-round development of a child. Not just the teachers, but parents, grandparents, nannies and the Montessori akkas have a vital role to play to help children navigate this ever-changing world, showing them how to focus not only on their needs but also on the needs of the larger community.

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What are your views on nannies helping with raising children?

Having a nanny is a personal choice, depending on one’s economic status, necessity, and so on. Nannies must be empowered to contribute to the development of the child. Nannies can speak to the children in Tamil or their native tongue, teach them life-skills, for example, making kolams, threading flowers, etc. Like we train our akkas at Redwood to help the child in their journey to become independent, we can train nannies too, If parents request. At Redwood, our akkas are well-trained individuals. They are highly respected by our children. We train them in-house, have regular medical check-ups and send them to seminars organised by other Montessori organisations, so that they understand the philosophy behind the method 'Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed'.

Please share a little about Redwood Montessori’s history and your approach towards education.