Mrinmoyee Das

When viewing my background and previous work experience, one may wonder why I am currently a preschool teacher. My experience has ranged from scientific researcher, to teacher, to business co-owner, to bookseller. Although, on the surface, each position has nothing to do with the other, they all share one common component: education.

In both undergraduate and graduate school, I focused on public health, particularly the effect the man-made environment has on our health. Although I appreciate the importance of research, I never quite felt satisfied. After I became an MA EEC certified preschool teacher, I discovered what was missing: education. What I am truly passionate about is implementing what we learn through scientific inquiry to the real world through education, which, not only leads to lifelong success, but is also vital to long term health and wellness.

I now work as part-owner, program coordinator and teacher at Evergreen Montessori House, a private preschool and kindergarten founded by my parents 20 years ago for my sister and me. Through my many roles, I have worked to implement the latest research to our school. I expanded the enrichment program to cover more STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities, included more critical thinking and problem solving activities that increase success in STEM subjects into our curriculum, and added a health education component to our program. I also started a blog to answer some of the many questions parents might have about preschool education and the Montessori Method.

Although I have not taken the direct path to a career in education, my varied background has made my experience as a teacher richer. I work to improve the quality of education at our school and aim to become more involved in science education.