Welcome to Manika's Blogs

  The theory of mirror neurons has been circulating for the past few years, providing a lens to understand how a child's neural networks take shape, profoundly influenced by their environment, especially their parents. For those encountering the concept of mirror neurons for the first time, they are brain cells that mimic behaviors and feelings observed in others. Consider actions you unconsciously adopted as you grew older, mirroring your parents—perhaps your walk or the way you hold a spoon. A lingering question arises: if we've mirrored behaviors or habits from our parents, how do we break free from them? Pondering this, considering the theory of mirror neurons, implies a continuous cycle of behaving like our parents, who behaved like their parents, and so on. In this scenario, are we truly living unique lives or merely replaying the same old song? My revelation on this matter occurred a couple of days ago. Since being diagnosed with hypothyroidism, I've explored various...

    EQ- Foundational skill in education   Year is 1995 it is 5pm and all in my family were super anxious as my eldest sister’s 11 th grade result was about to be announced. Moment result was out my parents could not stop bragging about their daughter’s final score, she was State second rank holder and her score was…. 74%. Fast forward thirty years and score for a topper is 99.99%. Buzz word for last three decades was STEM. The reason behind this shift was the observation that education, being imparted at that time, was limited to data acquisition. Students were not guided to learn why and how of concepts, leave aside creating something new from knowledge they acquired. There is no doubt that introduction of STEM learning empowered children to explore, create and experiment new ideas. But question to be asked is ‘Is STEM ultimate shift in education?’ To answer this question first thing, we need to clarify is, ‘What is education?’ For me education is the bridge...

  Did it ever happen to you that you started reading something and you come across a very familiar word but you feel you only know dictionary meaning and you would like to go deeper into the potential of that word? Today happened to be one of those days for me, the word for me was ‘Attitude’.  What I was looking for was what is my attitude to life? Where it came from? How I go about changing it if it needs to be changed and most importantly how do I know what is my attitude?  While it was almost twelve hours in and I was still surfing online getting around few articles, but clearly heading nowhere. Right around that time I sat on my twelve-year-old daughter’s study table and happened to see her board with few sticky notes placed on it. It read ‘Family is a gift’ ‘Enjoy blooming in life’ ‘You can do it' ‘Everything is possible’ ‘Never give up’. And there it was in front of me an example what is her attitude towards life, towards things that happen around her, an example ...

  As a child, I often rode through rice fields, watching small plants shooting up from still water. I'd marvel at the patience farmers must have for the entire growth process. Looking back now, I realize the universal law of pause is fundamental to life. In these pauses, we discover the beauty unfolding in every experience. Yet, in today's world, we're constantly seeking distractions. Even for our children, we fill their schedules to keep them occupied, with toys, activities, and screens. This constant stimulation prevents them from learning how to pause and appreciate. Our brains are shaped by our early environment, but it's equally vital to provide opportunities for them to understand the power of pause. Instead of rushing to entertain your child, take them for a walk to experience the beauty around them. Star or cloud gazing can be another enriching activity. Sitting quietly and listening to a beautiful song together can also foster appreciation. So, take a pause, ...

I can vividly recall the first time I left my three-year-old alone in his preschool. It felt like my heart sank inside me. A thousand questions raced through my mind: What if he needs something? Who will feed him? What if another child hurts him? Today, he's a 17-year-old young man who tells me, "Take a break, you need rest. I'll take care of things." It's amazing how parents grow alongside their children. When our children start going to preschool alone, they're confronted with new people, environments, and routines. For parents, it's one of the most anxiety-inducing experiences. Having been in the preschool environment for almost two decades now, I've seen that children take a day or two to realize they're safe and can have fun in this new environment. However, it takes much longer for us as adults to trust and have faith in the caregivers. Every moment in these environments teaches children something or lays the foundation for their future life....

Fourteen years ago, during a conversation with one of my cousins, she mentioned the Montessori system. Her enthusiasm as a mother over what her child was learning in this system was so convincing that as a mother of a one-year-old, I made up my mind that my little one would be going to a Montessori school. Then, I got an opportunity to work in a school that was AMS certified, schools certified under the American Montessori Society. Now, it was not only as a mother but also as an educator that I was able to see multiple instances where the effectiveness of this philosophy was visible to me. And guess what? I also became one of those advocates of this system who believes there is nothing better than it. Until one day, I met a mother who shared with me that her child just couldn’t connect to this way of teaching. Finally, she moved her son to a traditional school and the child bloomed immediately. It was not only her son but a few other parents too who shared this experience. Then, as an ...

With new academic years starting all around us, the excitement of a new class and school year can be seen on the faces of all students. Why is this excitement? It is the excitement of expansion. We humans constantly crave this never-ending expansion of our subconscious world, and our children are perfect pure examples of that. The other day while driving down the road, a car overtook a truck in front of me. It was a single road without a median. The driver coming from the other side of the road made an angry gesture to the driver who overtook. At that moment, I wondered if this gesture was seen by the person for whom it was made. Most likely, he did not even know that an action by him triggered a counter-reaction from someone else. The presence of the incident is in reality only in one person’s life, as he is aware of it, while even though the second person was involved, it never became part of his reality. The incident is a pure example of how each one of us builds our own world of co...