Preschool teachers play a critical role in shaping the early development of young children. Their impact goes beyond simply teaching the alphabet and numbers; they influence the social, emotional, and cognitive development of their students.
Preschool teachers play a critical role in shaping the early development of young children. Their impact goes beyond simply teaching the alphabet and numbers; they influence the social, emotional, and cognitive development of their students.
A good preschool teacher can create a safe and nurturing learning environment that fosters positive social interactions. They teach children how to share, take turns, and communicate effectively. Children learn to develop friendships and social skills through group play and structured activities. These early social interactions help children build the confidence and self-esteem needed for success in later years.
Preschool teacher has a profound impact on the lives of their students. Their nurturing and supportive approach creates a foundation for academic and social success. They help children develop the skills and confidence needed to thrive in later years, setting them on a path towards a successful and fulfilling life.
Ms Alkaben Bharatbhai Rathi is one of the most impact preschool teachers. With her passion for teaching and inspiring dream of establishing her own preschool, she became an edupreneur of Shanti Juniors, Nikol Branch.
Shanti Juniors offers a unique and holistic approach to the development of every child. With incredibly experienced teachers, Shanti Juniors has created a wonderful and exceptional environment of education which can have made learning easy and more interesting and engaging for the children.
Q. Tell us something about your journey with Shanti Juniors.
I have been a teacher for almost two decades. My passion for holistic education and teaching encouraged me to join Shanti Juniors as a counsellor in 2010. My lifelong ambition has always been to turn into an edupreneur and run a successful preschool. With my experience as a preschool teacher at Shanti Juniors at the Sanand Branch and as a head counsellor, I gained enough confidence and courage to finally open my own preschool.
Q. How has your personal life transformed during your journey as an edupreneur?
I belong to a middle-class Marwadi family. I grew up in an orthodox society with predetermined and traditional roles for men and women. Thus, I was at the receiving end of some resistance when I voiced my ambition to run a preschool. With the risky nature of business, I made losses and due to the lack of support, I almost gave up on my dream. However, I was adamant about running my own preschool. After both my sons moved abroad, I invested my energy in my dream and chose to do the best for myself and my family.
I ventured on my journey with my father’s word of wisdom, ‘A business will be successful after 999 days’.
My personal growth was tremendous in changing myself from a typical Marwadi homemaker to a preschool teacher to head counsellor and then finally turning into a proud and successful business owner. I take pride with a lot of humility and joy when I tell the world that I started working on a salary of 1000 rupees only and nurtured a staff of 33 members at Shanti Junior, Nikol. It has brought me the greatest joy in my professional life.
Q. What were the challenges you faced during this journey?
I believe, that achievement is never easy and hence, expected this journey to be challenging. When we started in the year 2014, it was an uphill task since we only had 19 children enrolled with us. We worked hard on marketing and promotions to place our preschool well and worked on combating the prejudice against Gujarati medium schools.
I took on the role of teaching the kids by myself and cut back on hiring additional teachers for the initial years. It took a lot of hard work and time. I taught coaching classes to keep our preschool running and develop it consistently.
Our enrollments improved consistently and our preschool grew vastly in the second year with 53 juniors for the next three years. In the fourth year, we crossed a big milestone with 100 juniors which soon turned into 153 in the fifth year and 173 juniors in the sixth year. We achieved a big number of 200 in the seventh year which was very encouraging for us.
Q. What was the impact of the unprecedented calamity of COVID-19 on your preschool?
We suffered a big dip from 200 juniors to 80 juniors due to COVID-19. I promised myself that this phase too would pass and started taking classes, online via Zoom. I taught all the classes myself and provided the children with the best I could offer.
Finally, the condition stabilized and we had our enrollments reach 183 juniors for virtual classes. This gave me immense confidence in my teaching prowess and courage to fight through such unprecedented times.
Q. Is there anyone you would like to share your gratitude with?
I wish to thank Dharmesh Sir (President of SEIL - Shanti Educational Initiatives Limited) and Shubhangana Ma’am (Head of Academics) for all the support that I received during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. I am also thankful to all the staff at the head office for all the support.
I am extremely thankful to Shanti Juniors as they have provided me with a big family of staff members and parents.
Q. What is your vision for the future?
I am extremely grateful and proud to share that this year the Nikol branch closed with 359 juniors which is the biggest number of admissions in the history of the Shanti Junior branch. By achieving this milestone, my hard work has finally paid off and I will keep on working at my dream of expansion with Shanti Juniors business.
I am looking for long-lasting and successful business relations with the head office. I will continue to work hard and do better. I hope that I will receive constant and clear communication with the head office to grow, like always.
Thank you Ms Alka for such an engrossing and encouraging conversation. It was really motivating to learn about such a unique journey. Shanti Juniors with its pathbreaking approach has been a torchbearer of change and success in the field of education. With leaders and teachers like Ms Alka, the future of education looks brighter.
Thank you for your valuable time and inputs.
