Jyotsna Patnaik

At Sloka since 1998

Having volunteered to teach in a school run by the company her husband worked at, Jyotsna discovered her interest in education and her skills with handling children early on. Later, on moving to the city, she discontinued teaching and started a clothing boutique. However, while it did well, it was not satisfying enough for Jyotsna, and led her to resume teaching after a few years. She taught Grade 1 in a mainstream school for almost ten years. Simultaneously, she completed her Bachelor’s in Education in History and English. In 1997, Jyotsna happened to meet Tina Bruinsman, a Waldorf teacher from The Netherlands who was in India, conducting teacher training courses and helping with the setup of Sloka. Jyotsna trained under her for a year and in 1998, joined Sloka as a Kindergarten teacher. She became a Grade 1 teacher in the year 2000. She also represented India in the International Forum, which she cites as a humbling and inspiring experience. Today, after more than a quarter century of teaching, she continues to be inspired by Anthroposophy and the children she teaches.

Currently a Grade 8 Class Teacher, Jyotsna is a senior Mentor and curriculum head for the lower grades. She is also one of the senior trainers at the SSWTT programmes.