Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Burhanpur for the first time. As I made the four-hour journey south from Indore, I tried to picture what the city would be like from my vast mental database of locations acquired from my visits to hundreds of schools around India. The nondescript, agrarian topography soon morphed into semi-arid, rolling hills, marked by a distinct type of foliage: banana trees, which provide the region’s key export. I could tell that this would be no ordinary city.
I was on my way to visit Macro Vision Academy, a leading residential school that had invited me to give two workshops–one for the senior students, and one for the parents who were coming to visit from all over the state and the country. The invitation was extended by Mrs. Kala Mohan, a dynamic principal who has been championing the concept of Multiple Natures among students and educators in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Although the journey to Burhanpur was quite a trek, I was not bothered in the slightest; I’d travel anywhere to be with such a dedicated educator working to promote the personalization of education.
What had me confused, however, was what Kala was doing there. When she first told me she had joined the Macro Vision, she explained that the school’s thrust had been on preparing students for competitive exams and that it had gained distinction for its remarkable number of placements in IITs, the National Defense Academy, and other institutes of high repute. Knowing her penchant for innovation and holistic education, her new assignment as principal seemed a bit of an enigma.
Things started to become clear when I arrived and met Anand and Manju Chouksey, the directors of Macro Vision, who told me their remarkable story. The husband and wife team started out in a coaching institute they ran out of a small house in the old city of Burhanpur nearly 20 years back. Each a topper in his own right, Anand and Manju earned an unmatched reputation for delivering academic results with their students. Then, in 2001, they founded Macro Vision Academy, a boarding school on a sprawling campus to enable more and more children to gain from their unique talent as educators.
As I toured the school, I was impressed by Anand and Manju’s involvement in every small aspect of the school–from the syllabus, to their specialized internal coaching classes, to the furniture, and even the unique menu which is planned out every day for the entire year and printed on their annual calendar. But everything suddenly came together for me when Anand expressed to me his desire to expand the scope of the school to cater to all types of children and to produce not just academic toppers, but students who could demonstrate their abilities in all fields. If that was the case, then Kala Mohan was surely the right choice; what originally appeared to be an unlikely combination of individuals now shone as an intriguing synergy of educators.
My invitation to Macro Vision was to be no ordinary visit–not just a run-of-the-mill workshop for kids and parents on career choice, but rather, a distinct signal that Macro Vision was expanding its purview to foster talent of all types–indeed an evolution that would enable the school truly to live up to its name. From the next session, the school would be expanding its streams to include commerce as well as arts. And while Anand mentioned that there was indeed some concern internally about whether the school might be diluting its core strength, he was adamant that this change was necessary in order to perform the greatest good as an educator and an educational institution.
When it was time for my workshops to begin, Anand launched the morning for the children with his new message and direction, which was met with tremendous enthusiasm. Of the 800 children present, many expressed their unique interests–some indicating they wanted to pursue a host of careers in the areas of computer game design, sports, hospitality, music, fashion and more. And for over three hours, I fielded their questions, such as one student who was torn between medicine and public speaking. In the process, I demonstrated how the blending of abilities using Multiple Natures and Multiple Intelligences could yield all types of professions–including medical media professionals who host TV shows on healthcare issues.
While I was not surprised at the students’ reaction to this opening of the career landscape, I was caught off guard by the parents’ response in the afternoon session. My assumption was that they would be hesitant to embrace the notion of backing their children in occupations other than the stereotypical chocolate-vanilla-strawberry options of careers–i.e., doctor, engineer, lawyer. Rather, many parents expressed their views that they inherently realized it was wrong to blindly force their children into the traditional job routes, and that they were ready to explore new professional avenues for their children. What they were lacking, however, was direction, and for that reason, they had come to the seminar.
- Steven Paul is greeted by students before he commences his workshop on Multiple Natures at Macro Vision Academy, Burhanpur
I will forever remember this event as a turning point in the Indian education scenario–and in my life–the day that parents stepped forward and voiced that they were ready for the change. The questions and comments that flowed from the 1000-strong audience demonstrated their eagerness to know how to support their children if they were to pursue these off-beat careers–the black currants, cookies and cream and chocolate mousses of the occupational world. But more importantly, what endeared me to their concerns was their desire to ensure their children would be able to pursue their dreams, yet maintain their family ties and cultural traditions that formed the basis of their lives; their definition of success necessarily needed to include not only the approval of less familiar types of jobs and financial security, but also an assurance that their relationships would remain solidly intact. That, I expressed, was my very goal–the goal we have been working toward at Jiva for the past two decades.
I continued to share my suggestions for how parents and students could strengthen their bonds, and simultaneously explore children’s inherent qualities through the Multiple Intelligences-Multiple Natures framework. I demonstrated how careers could be selected and how parents could provide a fillip to their children by focusing on their strengths both inside and outside school.
Following the event, a training session was given to the staff to help each child develop clear career goals as well as plans to achieve those goals that meet the aspirations of the children as well as their parents. The school also made the Multiple Natures Test available to all its students to help them in the career identification process.
As I left Burhanpur and entered into the rolling hills en route back to Indore, I was filled with joy knowing that a leading institute in the heart of India is now beating to a new beat. I must offer my congratulations to the Choukseys for taking such a bold step with their school, bringing it onto the forefront of education, and extend my appreciation to Mrs. Kala Mohan for championing this concept in a way that will bring a valuable change in the lives of so many learners and their families. Without a doubt, they have demonstrated that when it comes to education, they have a “macro vision”!
Click here to view pictures of the event on Facebook.
