Obsessed about bringing excellence in education, Vandana Ahuja, Program Director Cedarwood, is igniting curiosity in young minds and motivating them to push themselves beyond their comfort zones. Cedarwood is a unique platform for supplemental education for school children offering specialised courses across 6 key areas – Communication Skills, Problem Solving, Critical Reasoning, Creative Thinking, Collaboration and Creative Arts.
Below is a snapshot of her interview with SHEROES.
Why Cedarwood?
We live in an ever changing and rapidly evolving world. With information at one’s fingertips, it’s only rational to predict that the future of work is going to be drastically different from the current scenario. Having said that, there is tremendous innovation in every industry, be it fintech, healthcare, media etc. Take a step back and observe - “Has that level of innovation happened in the education sector?” The answer is a blaring no. From the method of teaching to the content/curriculum, things have remained pretty much the same. The big question therefore is “Are we preparing our future generations to be competent enough to face the challenges of the 21st Century?
This is where the concept of 21st Century Skills comes into picture. Educators have identified a set of skills which are absolutely needed in order to succeed in this information age. These skills include problem solving, creativity, teamwork, leadership, analytical thinking and effective communication skills.
Another very important aspect is the growing attrition rate among working women. The number one cause for this is the lack of good quality child care for their children.
Cedarwood tries to solve these problems by providing a support system to families. Unlike existing day cares, where children are in the care and company of Maushis; Cedarwood engages with children through ‘afterschool’ programs and help them enhance their skills and develop curiosity.
At present there are no courses that help children develop 21st century skills and most schools are only providing bookish knowledge. Cedarwood is a unique network of Afterschool Programs focused on holistic child development through specialised academic and extra-curricular activities. We leverage excellence in teaching and technology to curate and deliver courses aimed at building these skills in children.
My goal
As the Program Director at Cedarwood, I am responsible for curating, designing and constantly updating the course content for the Afterschool Programs which include modules on reading, elocution, public speaking, creative writing & drama. With my extensive teaching experience of about 25 years across various schools in India, my team and I are able to devise programs in a way that are highly receptive.
According to the a research done where various styles of teaching were evaluated, it was found that the lecture format scores the least on receptiveness among learners and the discussion method is ranked as the most receptive method. Unfortunately, most schools and education institutions adopt the lecture method. Keeping this in mind, our programs are designed in a very student friendly manner where we have incorporated hand on learning as well. I also train various teachers who are keen on conducting our Cedarwood Programs.
I see myself as an evolved educator, an educator who has been able to touch the lives of thousand students and teachers in a positive manner, and I want to make the country believe in my vision for Cedarwood – helping children develop 21st century skills and be leaders and problem solvers of the coming years.
Also as a staunch believer of gender parity on the professional and personal front, I want to be able to empower women to take control of their life and decisions. Cedarwood is a woman run organization and we encourage woman to work in a flexi environment. We offer micro-Franchisees of Cedarwood to any woman who is keen on starting Cedarwood classes from the comfort of her own home or an external location.
Journey
I am very passionate about teaching and simply love working with children. In my opinion, children are the best people to work with. There are no judgments, no office politics and contrary to any other profession, teaching is very de-stressing, as you become a child again. At the same time, seeing the value one creates in a child is very rewarding. For example, one of the most common problems today is lack of confidence. At Cedarwood, we make every child believe that he or she is truly unique and special and help them hone their respective talents. It is inspiring to see children who walk in to a Cedarwood class feeling shy and under confident, walk out as confident and reliant young adults.
To be honest, I always dreamt of becoming a doctor; to touch people’s lives closely and help them become happier human beings. But as I grew up, I realized what a major role my teachers had played in shaping my personality as an adult. This is when my destiny changed and I decided to live by the quote, “To Teach is to touch lives forever”.
I took up Child Psychology as a major during my graduate degree with the objective of being able to bring out the best in every child. Unlike the B-ed degree, which was only sufficient to teach me the nuances of teaching, Child Psychology made me more effective in my approach towards children.
Hurdles
The Indian Schooling system replicates that of our Government - slow and weary of any change and innovation. During my time as a teacher in various schools, I was extremely keen on bringing about some reforms in teaching but was unable to do so due to the hierarchal structure. At times, I would be thoroughly frustrated as I was not being able to deliver what I truly intended to; the shackles of a set curriculum and examination were suffocating my creativity. It was at this tipping point that I was determined to bring about a change on my own. Cedarwood emerged as an idea during the time – a place where creativity in teaching and content is encouraged – where we teach children how to think and not what to think.
Women in business
Times are very different from what they were when I entered the workforce. Women are becoming more ambitious and focused towards their career and are utilizing their potential to the fullest. 20 years back, women had to juggle their work and household chores; today women have a choice and they must exert that choice. Household chores are not only the responsibility of the woman, but equally shared by their partner and family.
Another thing that has changed is the attitude of society towards women who work. At our times, it was considered as a sign of financial turmoil, which is why people assumed that women worked. Today, people respect women who have flourishing careers and see that as a sign of prosperity and not financial stress. Though we have come a long way, there is still a lot that needs to be done and organizations like SHEROES is doing a brilliant job to achieve gender parity.
Women are born multi-taskers; hence why waste your inherent talent. Entrepreneurship is about doing different things all on your own. From ideation to marketing to financing, an entrepreneur has to do it all. There is nothing more exciting or rewarding than being able to create something from the scratch.
I pose this question to everyone, “What value are you creating by the means of your work”. As an entrepreneur you create value by creating employment, devising innovative solutions to exciting problems and by contributing positively towards economic development. Compare this to the value you can add from sitting at a desk in a MNC. Hence think about adding value at every step and the best way to achieve that is through entrepreneurship.