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Meet Our New Teachers: Uma Henderson

new teacher at maharishi preschool

Uma Henderson co-leads in the Preschool.

Alumni teaching at our school

Did you know Maharishi School Alumni Uma Henderson is a co-lead teacher in the Children’s House? Uma grew up in Fairfield and attended Maharishi School from K-12th grade. After graduating she moved to Boulder, Colorado to study holistic nutrition and natural medicine. Uma worked in the field of health and healing for many years. Her work allowed her to travel around the world to Thailand, Indonesia, and Hawaii.

After her traveling days came to an end, she wanted to reestablish a home base. That’s when Uma and her partner moved back to Fairfield and had their daughter, Prayma.

Maharishi School community

I asked Uma how she feels about growing up in the same community that she’s raising her daughter in and she said,

“I have to say that I had the sweetest childhood here in Fairfield. It was such a nourishing place to grow up and I am thankful everyday for the friends, teachers, and community that helped raise me and (to this day) still show their love and support.”

maharishi preschool

Uma’s daughter Prayma.

“I always felt that I wanted to return to Fairfield to settle down. For me, at the end of the day, it came down to the human connection and like-minded community that cultivated a true sense of happiness. This made it pretty clear to me where I wanted to raise my own children. My daughter was born here and now she is almost three. The support that I experienced from this community during my pregnancy, and through the first years of motherhood is more than I could have asked for. Returning here has been a really positive experience for many reasons, but a significant one is my opportunity to work at Maharishi School and have my daughter attend the Children’s House. I love being able to see her each day at school and I also immensely appreciate all of the parenting tools I have become familiar with being in this atmosphere.”

Teaching with covid-19

I also asked Uma what her thoughts are about teaching preschool during a pandemic. She responded,

“I had my concerns about returning to teaching at the preschool during the pandemic. Of course the obvious concern of being exposed to the virus, but also I was concerned about how the mask wearing and social distancing would affect the children socially and emotionally. For this reason, this year we have really prioritized their outdoor play time, where they can safely play mask free and also build strong connections with one another and the teachers. Cultivating these connections is key in helping them adapt and feel comfortable when we do have to be inside wearing a mask.”

alumni daughter prayma

Prayma

“The work that we do at the Children’s House very much involves assisting the children in cultivating emotional intelligence. We help them to learn how to identify the emotions that they are feeling and voice them, so as to allow them to process their feelings and experiences in a healthy way. I believe that the emphasis we put on the emotional body allows the children to feel seen and heard. So although I did have initial concerns around the mask wearing, so far, I do believe that the children are handling it quite well, perhaps as a result of the emotionally nurturing environment we have provided.”

Being an alumni

I also asked Uma what it’s like to be teaching at the school where she is also an alumni, and what plans she has as a co-lead teacher this year.

“Returning to Maharishi School has honestly been such a sweet experience for me. Because I spent twelve years here growing up, it definitely feels surreal at times that life has come full circle over a decade later. It amazes me that now I am taking my daughter’s picture in the same place where my mother took mine each year on the first day of school.”

“I feel that it’s such an honor and privilege to be a teacher in the Children’s House at Maharishi School. Although sometimes I

teacher maharishi school alumni uma

Uma

 feel that the students are really teaching me! I believe that each child has a well of innate knowledge and I believe that it’s my job to help nurture that as well as each child’s own inner intelligence and curiosity of the world around them. I have grown so much as a person as I’ve learned to embody the teachings of Montessori, as well as Positive Discipline, and Maharishi’s Science of Creative Intelligence. These three philosophies are what we follow in the Children’s House and they work harmoniously together to create such a smooth and enriching experience for the students and teachers.”

“Teaching children, for me, has been one of the most growth provoking, soul enriching, and heart warming experiences I have ever had. I am thrilled to be guiding these blossoming souls and am so excited to continue for years to come!”

If you would like to learn more about the Children’s House, click here.

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

Find out about our school events and student life, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

NY Times Article: Dear Teenagers, Here’s How to Protect Your Emotional Well-Being

Teen health is an ongoing conversation that’s so important to have during this unprecedented time. Our teens can feel especially vulnerable and emotionally strained during times of isolation. We love this article written by Lisa Damour posted on the New York Times about teen health that we had to share it with you!

Guidance for teenagers on staying steady in the turmoil of the pandemic.

Following my most recent column offering adults a 2020 back-to-school list for teens’ emotional well-being, several teenage commenters asked that I address them in the same way that I address their parents: “as intelligent people who have the tools to support themselves and their loved ones through this trying time.”

Dear teenagers, you are right. And I’m so glad you asked. Here’s my guidance on what you can do to keep yourself steady in the turmoil of the pandemic.

Make the Most of Your Emotional Superpowers

Teenagers experience feelings more intensely than adults do, both negative and positive ones. While this amplifies the psychological discomfort you’re certainly experiencing right now, it also means that you get more out of pleasures and delights. These days the only bright spots many of us are finding are small ones, and for a lot of adults, these don’t feel very satisfying. But for you, small comforts and joys are more comforting and joyful than they are for adults. So, when your mood needs a lift, make the most of this emotional superpower.

What makes this power work for you will be highly personal. You might enjoy video games, pumpkin spice treats, cuddling your pet, being in nature, listening to music, going for a run or doing something else altogether. The adults in your life might not quite grasp how happy it makes you to watch your favorite movie for the umpteenth time. That’s OK. Just know what gives you a boost right now and enjoy it fully.

Trust Your Feelings

When you are worried, sad, stressed, frustrated or anything else, trust that you are almost certainly having the “right” feeling. I say this because you have been raised in a culture that is unnecessarily fearful of unpleasant emotions and which may have given you the impression that emotional distress invariably signals fragile mental health. This is not true. In upsetting times, feeling upset proves, if anything, that your emotions are working exactly as they should. You are in touch with reality — a painful one though it is — and attuned to your circumstances.

When your mood is good, trust that too. With the world off its axis, you might wonder if it’s all right to let yourself feel at ease. It is. Should you notice that calm emotional waters follow stormy waves of distress, don’t assume that you have somehow lost touch. In all likelihood, you have processed and moved past a painful mood, largely by allowing yourself to have it.

Count on Your Psychological Circuit Breakers

Sometimes we helpfully make room for unpleasant feelings. Other times psychological defenses kick in on their own like circuit breakers to protect us from emotional overload. Though psychological defenses can be problematic, such as when people use denial to ignore a painful truth, they are often healthy and can help us regulate how much of an upsetting situation we take on all at once.

For instance, you might notice that the anger you feel about your disrupted school days gives way to an appreciation for your growing self-sufficiency. Shifting from exasperation to rationalization maintains your connection to what’s happening while reducing the emotional charge. Using humor — say, when you are inspired to find inventive ways to crack up your classmates to manage the sheer frustration of sitting through online classes — works the same way. Here’s the point: Your mind is built to help you through this hard time. Put stock in its ability to keep your emotional current at manageable levels.

Have a Basic Plan for Mental Health Maintenance

Plenty of sleep and physical activity will improve your mood, reduce your stress, and increase how much you like yourself and other people. Enjoy the company of people who soothe and energize you. Steer clear of those who leave you feeling stirred up or spent.

Distribute your mental energy with care. So much will go sideways this year, and you have every right to resent the challenges and frustrations of Covid-19. Allow yourself time to be upset. Then try to direct the bulk of your energy toward that which you can control. What kind of friend do you want to be this year? What do you want to learn and get better at? What can you do to support others? Focus on what remains within your power, because exercising that power will help you feel better.

Understand When to Worry

If distress is to be expected, when is it time to worry? A first reason would be if your unwanted emotions start to feel like bad roommates: constantly around and taking the fun out of everything. It’s one thing if sadness, anxiety, irritation, outrage or grief stop by for a visit. But it’s another if they move in or linger for more than a day or two.

A second reason for concern would be if you find yourself routinely using unhealthy strategies to numb or contain painful feelings. Avoiding everyone, being cranky all the time, misusing substances, or sacrificing sleep to binge on social media may bring relief in the short term but create bigger problems down the line.

Finally, you should be worried if you feel you might harm yourself or do not feel safe in some other way. Should you be concerned about your own well-being, or that of a friend, reach out to a trusted adult. Tell a parent, a counselor at your school, or any other grown-up you can count on to take the situation seriously and mobilize the proper supports.

These are incredibly difficult times that are emotionally taxing for everyone. But teenagers should not underestimate the value of their own special strengths. Understanding, harnessing and protecting your mental health resources will serve you well now, and for the rest of your life.

 

Maharishi School Graduates, Where Are They Now?

Devan Burke and Daniel Zhu

alumni devan and daniel in tree

When you think of Maharishi School Alumni you often see dates of those who graduate after the 90’s, but what

about our more recently alumni? In an effort to connect with our younger graduates, I got to conduct an online interview with 2 alumni who both graduated in the same class of 2018. Each one has taken on very different life paths and yet their stories draw many comparisons. Both young men reflect on their experience at Maharishi School as formative to who they’ve become.

Devan

devan burke a maharishi school alumni 2018My name is Devan Burke. I am currently 20 years old, I was born in England, and grew up in Sweden for 9 years before venturing to the U.S to start Maharishi School in my Sophomore year of High School. I have always been interested in many things, often too many things to pursue at once. Music, Theatre, Sports, Business, and much more.

When I graduated from Maharishi School in 2018 I had no idea what I wanted to do next. My gap year was a chance for me to delve into work. I started doing Project Management consulting in San Francisco,  from which I learned an incredible amount of life skills as well as business acumen.

As I started college I realized what the true gift of Maharishi School was to me. It was an unprecedented mixture of people. I don’t think I will ever be in a classroom with people that I know through and through, and whom I consider dear friends, if not family, for a long time. The perspectives and diversity that I experienced at Maharishi School is, as I said earlier, unprecedented. I also believe that the discussions had in the classrooms, between peers, and teachers from multitudes of backgrounds teach us far more than we sometimes care to realize and that in of itself, is one of the best teachers we can ask for.

After my senior year at Maharishi School, I worked as a Project Management consultant in San Francisco for a year before starting college at San Jose State University in Silicon Valley, where I’m currently studying Business Management and Information Systems. I played tennis for the Club team and started many projects with new friends. Recently, however, I have begun to dive into music, applying my business management skills to keep me on track and develop. I will be releasing an album soon with all original work (I am very excited about it!). It will be about my experiences in college and the thoughts I’ve had throughout my life from social interactions to deeper thoughts. If you want to check it out, follow me on Instagram @leotheodoremusic to stay updated on the release.

I can’t wait to see where my fellow classmates and I go and where we will find ourselves in years to come.

To my fellow current Maharishi School students, I would say that there is far more to school than just school. It is an opportunity to find life long friends and mentors who will be by your side for many years to come.

Make the most out of it!

Daniel

My name is Daniel, and I’m currently 20 years old. My parents are from China and I was born in Iowa, where I’m Daniel Zhu maharishi school alumni 2018currently studying economics and computer science at Grinnell College. I’m very interested in business and finance, and hope to pursue a career in those fields after graduation. Outside of academics and career related goals, I like to relax with my friends, play tennis in my downtime, burn pasta whenever I try to cook dinner, and copy Bob Ross paintings.
I graduated from Maharishi School in 2018. I think that Maharishi School is such a unique setting and school that stands out in many ways from other institutions. One thing in particular that I came to realize was so special about Maharishi School was the bond that you form with your classmates. I remember one day in college when my friends were talking about how they were “without a doubt” closer to their college friends than they were their high school friends, and how they were surprised that I even had to take time to think about the question. That experience illustrated to me how unique the friendships you form at Maharishi School are and made me cherish them even more. The people you meet at Maharishi School, I think to an extent, become much more than just your peers and instead, become your family.
I’m currently an analyst intern at NCP Investment Banking. Very basically, investment banking is a business that deals with mergers and acquisitions between companies. I work with our buy-side/sell-side clients to identify potential acquisitions or interested buyers, respectively. Investment banking is such an exciting field and one that I hope to explore even more of in the future. I think that working these deals and meeting new people from all walks of life in the process is something that’s so cool and definitely a potential career for me to consider.
In addition to the ongoing internship, I’m starting my third year at Grinnell College this fall. I’m taking accounting, computer science, business, and art market courses this semester, all of which I’m excited for. Unfortunately, because of the pandemic, I’m taking these classes online which means I’m unable to play club tennis this year. Next spring, I’m planning to study abroad at the London School of Economics, which I am look forward to a lot.
I’m excited to see where life will take my classmates and I, and I know that no matter where we go, we’ll always share the unique friendships that we formed at Maharishi School. I hope that the current students there enjoy the unique experience that Maharishi School is as much as I did and take advantage of the multitude of opportunities that the school offers. Like Devan said, there is more to Maharishi School than just school: in addition to the countless other benefits, it’s the opportunity to find lifelong friends and mentors who will be by your side for many years to come.

Maharishi School Graduates

maharishi School alumni tennis

Winning a tennis match together.

Both Daniel and Devan touched on this concept of their Maharishi School peers becoming family for the rest of their life. When I talk to other alumni, from all generations, I find this to be true. Many of our alumni have even moved back to Fairfield and enrolled their own children in Maharishi School, which is truly an incredible experience.

Eliana Freeman graduated from Maharishi School in 1999, her daughter Leni is currently in first grade and she commented about  her daughter going to school where she is an alumni.

“I feel very comforted when I drop Leni off at the school in the community that I grew up in. I enjoy get seeing other alumni that I grew up with dropping their kids off as well. Dr. Richard Beall has created an all inclusive community that is welcoming to everyone. This inclusivity attracted me to the school.  I value the curriculum as being a part of who I’ve become.”

Maharishi School welcomes connections with all of our alumni and we look forward to sharing those relationships with the community.

To read more about the alumni, click here.

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

To learn more about school events and student life, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Meet Our New Teachers: Camille Morehead

new teacher alumni camille morehead

Camille Morehead with artwork that’s been here since she was a student!

The school would like to welcome our new art teacher Camille Morehead! Camille is a Maharishi School Alumni (she graduated in 2008) and was voted by her fellow classmates with the Art and Creativity award which recognizes her outstanding artistic abilities. She graduated with a BFA in graphic design from Minneapolis College of Art and Design. She’s also currently a practicing artist in the Fairfield community. She has experience as a teaching assistant at Montessori school for Preschool and Kindergarten as well.

I asked Camille how she feels about returning to Maharishi School and she said,

 “Coming back to the school where I’m an alumni is certainly an interesting experience for me. Many things have changed in the school and it gives me an interesting perspective of being “on the other side” of the classroom experience.”

 

“I really appreciate how friendly and warm everybody is during these unprecedented times when teaching hybrid could be really stressful. However everyone is really onboard with everything and they’re taking it all head on which makes it more enjoyable for me.”

new teacher alumni camille morehead

Camille teaching art to the 1st and 2nd grades.

Camille has customized different materials for the hybrid learning conditions. For example students that are in person will be working with clay while students at home will be focusing more on conceptual ideas. Each grade will start with the foundations of art making; line, shape, form, space, texture and color. In the Middle School the focus will be on drawing, painting, color theory, mixed media and sculpture.

cal martin doing art project with mask

Cal Martin (1st grade) making art.

Camille will also be teaching a Digital Photography course of the project period in the Upper School.They will begin with everyone going out and taking photos, then coming together to do group critique. The content of these photos will then be created into a photo-book, which includes   an understanding and usage of Photoshop and other editing techniques.

Camille concludes, “I’m really excited to see how the kids grow and develop in the way they think about art. It’s fun for me to see the different stages of development expressed through their ability to work with the materials and mark making. I feel very fulfilled to be a teacher at Maharishi School!”

 

To learn more about our academics or to contact a member of our admissions staff, click here.

Find out about our school events and student life, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.