Leena Thomas

At Sloka since 2011

A Commerce graduate with a Post Graduate Diploma in Software, Leena had begun her career teaching computer literacy to adults and developing course material. She later began working with a magazine, moving from their technical team to their writing / editing team because of her love for language. She moved to writing and editing for The Hindu newspaper, through the Precious Features Syndicate. She later joined Google Adwords, Hyderabad and worked there for two years — a job she quit when her daughter was born. Subsequently, she stayed home for three years, raising her children, telling stories, playing games, singing lullabies and writing.

When her child was first enrolled in a school, Leena realised that testing and training for test-taking occupied more of the school year than actual teaching. Teachers hardly knew their students’ names, as they rushed to complete the term’s portions in time for the constant tests. Leena’s search for a school with a truly child-centric approach, where teachers really knew and cared about their students, brought her to Sloka and Waldorf education. She moved her daughter into Sloka on the very same day.

When Nirmala Diaz, the school’s founder, invited her to teach, she gladly accepted, taking her first batch of students from Grade 1 to 8, and later, her second batch from Grade 5 to 8. She is currently taking her third batch.