Every Child a Centre!

Ann Swain began her professional career as a registered music therapist focusing her work on children and adolescents in psychiatric settings before her curiosity took her to study Waldorf pedagogy at Emerson College in Sussex. She was a class teacher in London and then moved to the special educational needs department at Michael Hall where she worked for 20 years.  During that time, she trained as a Neuro Developmental Therapist, Johansen Sound Therapist and completed the Bothmer Movement Training. 

Ann currently holds the post of SENDCo at Norwich Steiner School and is co-director of SWASEND (Steiner Waldorf Association for SEND).  She provides educational consultancy to Steiner Waldorf Schools in the UK, teacher training internationally and has a  private practice working with children and adolescents with movement, co-ordination, sensory, attention and learning challenges.

Nirupama Rao is a psychologist with an MA in Applied Psychology. In the past 30 years, she has worked with children with learning, behavioral, emotional and developmental needs in special and mainstream schools, hospitals, adoption homes and clinics. She has co-hosted a radio show on parenting and ran a Waldorf Kindergarten for special children called Niraamayaa from 2010 to 2015. She also co-authored the book “Parenting, The Art and Science of Nurturing” (2012) and wrote “The Autism Story” (2016).

An IFAPA certified Anthroposophic Psychotherapist who completed courses in Steiner education and Eurythmy (with Aban and Dilnawaz Bana), Nirupama is now a freelance consultant, conducts workshops and webinars, guides and supports parents and teachers of children with different needs. Her approach focuses on conscious parenting and natural lifestyles inspired by anthroposophy. Her interests are crafts, music, gardening and sustainability. See Nirupama’s blog at www.niaamayaa.blog

Jayashree Rao works in the Neurodiversity domain, in the areas of capacity building, parent counselling and education therapy for children and young adults. Her approach is primarily guided by the principles of anthroposophy, blended with mainstream approaches. She is a Special Educator and Extra Lesson practitioner, combining movement, concentration exercises, rhythm and painting.
Jayashree has had a long corporate stint earlier in retail banking. Her current diverse practitioner interests include biodynamic farming, zerowaste, composting and teaching the Carnatic flute. She lives in Mumbai.

Aparna Hari has always believed that the experiences of childhood and schooling become a part of oneself as he/she grows. She chose the spiritual path of being a teacher wishing to offer her children the “Gift of Childhood” and started her journey as a teacher always drawn to Anne Sullivan, the teacher of Helen Keller. On completion of a degree in Special Education for the deaf, Aparna began to research schools that were making a difference in the world and discovered Waldorf Education which amplified her love for teaching, allowing her to gain an expansive and comprehensive understanding of herself and people around her. She unearthed a part of herself that she deeply loves, that thrives on telling captivating stories, soulful singing, aesthetic art, heartful conversations, joyous laughter, play and other exciting activities. This calling to be a part of a curative learning space is a new blessing where she is looking forward to learning and sharing experiences with colleagues. She is excited by co- learning, experiencing curative education on this platform for a greater purpose which may open new doors for true inclusion.

Shanmuga Priya says: “The hardest mountain to climb is the one from within”. When she did that, she found herself to be the light of her own and that light started making differences in the people’s life around her.
Priya has a BSc in Electronics and Communication, MSc in Finance and P.G.Dip in TEFL and ADHD. Her career development is rooted to the field of education since 2013 at various schools in the districts of Tamilnadu, India.
When someone tells her that teaching is a 9 to 5 job she begs to differ, saying  we as educators keep the children in our thoughts throughout the day. Teaching is a vocation that needs us to be life-long passionate learners.
Priya strongly believes that every child is unique and thus has the potential to grow. As an educator she trusts in the prospect of self learning and takes responsibility in nurturing that self learning aspects and the skills of an individual, becoming mindful and socially responsible.