Anagha Anil Kinjavadekar, a PhD student from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), has taken the conventional expectations of teaching roles over their head with her decision to teach nursery students. Kinjavadekar, who is doing her PhD on the “History of Pilgrimage in Varanasi till the 13th century,” left midway and shifted to Bengaluru in 2020 after her child was born. There, she felt that something was lacking in the name of innovation in educational approaches at the foundational level; hence, she opted to become a nursery teacher.

The educational background in History from the University of Delhi and JNU thus equipped Kinjavadekar with skills that are applied today in her unique method of teaching. Drawing inspiration from ancient modes of education, she applied concepts of humility, discipline, and respect to her pedagogy. As per her, small children must be dealt with as grown-up people who would understand the concept in their actual forms rather than in simplified versions.

Her teaching methodology taps into the extensive research skills and ability to simplify complex ideas learned during her PhD. For example, she explains concepts of the Big Bang or environmental impacts in a manner that young minds can understand and be interested in. “The patience to research and then explain concepts to nursery children is something I honed during my PhD,” Kinjavadekar says.

Bringing these principles of ancient times into the present, joined with her research competence, Kinjavadekar aspires to render profound learning joyful for all her students. Her approach points out a novel integration of academic rigor and early childhood education-that higher education has much to offer while contributing to foundational teaching practices.