Excerpts from a session at
the KFI teachers’ conference 2025 held at The Valley School, Bangalore
From the editors: A brief note about the session
Krishnamurti schools are envisioned as places where ‘both the teacher and the taught explore not only the outer world, the world of knowledge, but also their own thinking and their behaviour’. This session at the conference evoked moments of both introspection and interconnection. Seven teachers from diverse backgrounds were asked to reflect on the following question and share their responses:
Tell us about a teacher who made a difference in your life. How does that formative experience influence your own practice as a teacher?
We share in the following pages a brief profile of each of the teachers and what they shared with us.
To Be or Not to Be
Written By Seema Banu
When I think back to my school years, one teacher stands out with extraordinary clarity—my class teacher, Ms. Baby Saju Joseph. She was not someone who was loud or commanded attention with authority. Her presence was quiet but steady, and she made you feel safe by simply being there.
Safe Spaces Where Students Can Be Seen and Heard
Written By Lopamudra Kar
I studied at Patha Bhavan in Santiniketan, a residential school founded by Rabindranath Tagore. For him the purpose of education was to nurture a student’s physical, emotional and intellectual growth in natural surroundings.
Seeing It and Staying with It
Written By Bhaskar Aspari
I had just begun teaching in Shibumi, a small space for learning in Bangalore inspired by Jiddu Krishnamurti. At that time they were looking for a mathematics educator. With no background in teaching, except for the occasional guitar lessons I gave, and with my work experience being mostly in the corporate and start-up world, I was not sure what it meant to teach mathematics to children.
Inspiration and Innovation through Collaboration
Written By Padmapriya Shirali
Throughout my schooling and my forty-year career in school-level teaching, I have drawn inspiration from a wide range of individuals— the teachers from my early years in school, as well as professional colleagues, visiting educators, and educational writers.
Inspiration and Innovation through Collaboration
Written By Padmapriya Shirali
Throughout my schooling and my forty-year career in school-level teaching, I have drawn inspiration from a wide range of individuals— the teachers from my early years in school, as well as professional colleagues, visiting educators, and educational writers.
Learning as a Way of Being
Written By Ananda
The teacher who made the deepest difference in my life—and the one who left me with no choice but to become an educator myself — was an integral part of my growing years. From the age of seven to seventeen, I lived and learned with her. In those ten years, my life was transformed; I moved from the rugged, treeless mountains of Ladakh to a green haven by the seaside city of Madras.
Learning to Be a Gardener!
Written By Richa Gobburu
Of the many transformative learning experiences in my life, I will share two. The first was with my father; the second, with my research supervisor.
Learning from the Large Canvas of Life
Written By Nalini Jayaram
In the large canvas of life many teachers have helped me, nurturing me at various stages, and each of them is so special to me in different ways. I would like to share a few evergreen memories of them.