Blue Skies, fun and learning
A montessori that truly has the child’s interest at heart, say its founders Nadine Shums and Uzmila Fayaz
Nadine Shums and Uzmila Fayaz met at the Good Shepherd Maria Montessori Training Centre at St. Bridget’s Convent and became immediate friends also discovering they had a mutual objective, to start their own little school.
It took a few years before their dream actually came true. Last Monday (September 10), Nadine and Uzmila opened their own Montessori -the Blue Skies AMI Montessori House for Children at Battaramulla.
“When we first met I knew that Uzmila would be my partner because she was as interested in putting up her own school as I was but we had to gain sufficient experience and knowledge before we did so,” said Nadine explaining that after two and a half years at the Joyce Goonesekere Montessori and another year at two different schools she knew that she was ready.
However, it took almost a year for the two friends to find a suitable place. “We had to search for months before we came at last to the place we thought was the most ideal,” Uzmila said adding that Blue Skies now is what they dreamed of: A beautiful garden, safe environment, enough room for play, a parking area and convenient for parents to drop their children off during rush hour.
Nadine explained that they came up with the Montessori’s name because a child who is 2-5 years of age wants to live and learn in a friendly and homely environment. “Little children don’t want to learn to read and write- that is what the parents and society want. Because we follow Dr. Montessori’s pathway we believe that what children need at this age is to learn about their environment, to conduct themselves in it and have a happy childhood and happy childhood memories which we are positive our Montessori will be able to provide,” said Nadine.
Uzmila, a mother of three herself, who having lived abroad for some years, looking after her children on her own too has ample experience in handling youngsters. “I didn’t want maids to look after my children and I saw them grow up. Now I know what a child is interested in and how I can approach them. With my own experience I know I’ll be able to help and guide pre-schoolers,” she said.
They plan to recruit new teachers who are Association Montessori International (AMI), Netherlands certified. Since Dr. Montessori’s method is a scientific approach to a child’s growth and education they want their new teachers to be educated in this method.
“We are here to guide and build a keenness to learn within the child,” Nadine and Uzmila explain.
The Blue Skies AMI Montessori House for Children is located at No. 830, Rohina Mawatha, Battaramulla. For more information contact 2785848, 0777330585, 0773828940 or mail:blueskiesmontessori@ gmail.com
When A.P. Pradeep Thushara moves, he does so carefully. He is blind and must use his hands and feet to ‘see’ the edges of walls and the beginnings of stairs. All hesitation disappears, however, as soon as he begins to massage his client. He is one of two masseuses working at Thusare in Colombo 7, both of whom have been taught the Japanese art of shiatsu or ‘finger pressure’. Pradeep’s touch is deft and sure as he picks out specific points throughout the body and applies a gentle pressure.
Thusare is a project of Action for Peace, Capability and Sustainability (APCAS), a non-profit organisation formed by Ishikawa Naohito, a Japanese national who has lived in Sri Lanka close to 10 years now. The organisation obtained NPO status in Japan in 2008 to raise funds for Sri Lankan victims of landslides and in 2009, they opened a local office and began to diversify their activities going into projects related to education, water and sanitation, conservation and employment for the disabled. It is the last which led them to form Thusare this year. APCAS found Pradeep and his colleague Chameera Kithsiri at the Seeduwa Vocational Training Centre, where visually handicapped people can seek training in massage therapy. However, a few have subsequently found paid employment.
26-year-old Pradeep, who is originally from Chilaw, says this is his first job. He’s pleased to have found something he’s good at and a means to bring some income into his family where before he was always the one who needed help. Pradeep and Chameera have been training with Saburo Sasada, a visiting shiatsu expert with 22 years of experience in the field. Chameera is 21 and hails from Kurunegala. For him this is a chance to build on what he already studied at Seeduwa and he has learnt how to identify and relax hard tissues in the body under Mr. Sasada’s guidance. Both men struggled a little initially to learn in English, but with the help of Nivanthi Kalubowila, who works at Thusare as a coordinator and a beauty therapist, they managed and have made rapid strides. Today, they know enough to make sure that they are applying the right amount of pressure and that a client is comfortable.
The word ‘shiatsu’ means ‘finger pressure’ in Japanese and reportedly is used to help treat conditions like stress, insomnia, blood pressure and depression. Clients are massaged fully clothed and no oil is applied. Mr. Sasada is visually handicapped himself and brings that knowledge to his training, says Yuki Ishikawa, the manager at Thusare, explaining that the teacher works in several countries including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Yuki believes their visually handicapped masseurs are particularly effective because they compensate for their lack of sight by a heightened sensitivity to touch.
Having recently moved from Japan to work for APCAS here, Yuki says she’s teaching Chameera and Pradeep Japanese, and they’re helping her with her Sinhala. Both men are given accommodation at the APCAS head office in Colombo.
Currently, APCAS also has a project in Balapane in the Kandy District, focused on identifying children who have trouble with their vision early enough to make a successful intervention. Yuki says their focus is on empowering people by imparting skills and employment opportunities, a motto that is reflected in the other meaning of the word APCAS. According to Yuki, APCAS is also a sound in an aboriginal language known as Ainu which means ‘walking together’.
For more information on Thusare call 0114 369 967