My Gratitude to Modern School

More than eight years ago, if I remember correctly, it was July 12, 2012, Thursday. But it feels like yesterday when I came for the interview to Modern School as an applicant for a teacher’s post; nervous as obvious and after my interview I was called for a demo class the next day.

Next day when I reached I was sent to a class again I was nervous because my mind was flooded with the perceptions about the result. But at the end of the day I was welcomed by Principal Meena Ma’am with a smile on her face and appointment procedure in her hand. She told me that the first thing which matters for the school is its students’ development as per the mission, learning without cramming, discipline without fear, excellence without stress and relationships without conditions.

After joining I realized that not only students but the development of teachers is also the top priority of the school – because the school believes that the development teachers’ capacities is the basis of development of children.

For carrying out the school’s mission, lesson planning is a key process, which under the guidance of our director and PYP coordinator Mr. Siddhartha Kapoor, I soon mastered.

Our founder R. Kapoor Sir, who is a meditation teacher and an experienced mindfulness coach trained from Columbia University, New York, has instilled in all of us teachers that life is in the present moment and to be in the present moment the simplest practice is to watch our breath. This practice has made my life easier as now I am a totally different person. I am patient, I can see reality like the 7th sheep. I am always alert to take action by removing the pressure of ego from my mind. I have become stress free and happy now, as I can deal with the stress and problematic issues both personally and professionally. I am happy to teach the same to children. My connection with children and school management are excellent.

A year after joining the school I applied for a leave as I had to go for my daughters’ admission to a school. So Kapoor Sir called me and asked why don’t you get your daughters admitted here only and I was like ‘Sir I would love to but it’s totally out of my budget’. His reply surprised me. He said that he will discuss with the managing committee as I am now a part of the Modern School family of educators and I should get the best. The very next day I was informed that I just have to pay 1/3 of admission fee and a monthly fee of just Rs. 500/= per month which is almost nil. And within a week both my daughters were attending the classes.

I was suffering from a critical case of gallstones but due to personal financial issues I was ignoring the surgery. When Kapoor Sir got to know about it he immediately took the initiative to get the Medical insurance done for the whole staff so that none of his staff members would hesitate to himself/ herself be treated. Even the insurance company people who came to make us aware of the policy were surprised and shared that this is the first time we have given health insurance for any school staff. We also got to know from them that Kapoor Sir had not only got the insurance done by he actually got it customized in such a way that even the pre- existing diseases are covered – of the whole family. It’s because of this support that I got myself operated and didn’t have to pay a penny for a hospital bill of approx Rs.50,000/=.

During the covid period when everywhere people were losing their jobs, or were facing a major salary deduction, or receiving no salary, we teachers of Modern School were getting full salary. The school kept on paying all employees full salaries. The school management never let us realize how much financial pressure was there on the management as a huge number of parents were not paying the fee, while classes were going on online. Even when a certain amount of deduction was started after six months, to continue the smooth running of school the main pain and pressure was visible on Kapoor Sir’s face.

During the whole coronavirus period Sir made us do Pranayam and the day we started coming to school again we were served with Kahva and ginger tulsi tea twice a day each, along with regular Yoga and Pranayam. I realized its importance when my husband and both daughters fell sick due to dengue but I was not only able to take proper care of them but also I was able to maintain tranquility and physical fitness in such a quandary.

In the end I just want to say thanks to the school management, and our founder Kapoor sir for making me part of the one of the world’s best, safest and happiest places to work.

Jaya Mishra

IB PYP Educator