Maharishi Preschool has, in the past few years, become a daily alumni reunion with so many second generation students being enrolled along with alumni teachers joining the faculty team. Here are just a few of the alumni parents and faculty now involved in Maharishi Preschool:
Emily Schweitz Martlin, 1998, & Like Martlin 1994
“I graduated in 1998 and I went to MUM right after graduation. I studied fine arts, then I realized that I wanted to study acting. So I left MUM and moved away for about eight years, and came back in 2009.
The business I was in, the acting world, is very stressful and exhausting. I realized I had been going, going, going without any breaks or time to rest and so I realized I had to come back to Fairfield and take a break. The more time I spent in Fairfield the more I realized I wanted to stay – any creative venture I had was supported.
Then I met my husband, Luke Martlin, and we had our son Cal two years ago. We were talking about moving out of town – Luke wanted to pursue his PhD in the humanities – but because we had Cal we thought, this is not what we need to be doing, we need to be living in Fairfield where it’s a sweet space for him, and easy and safe. We both liked the idea of him coming back to MSAE because it was a sweet experience for us.
We feel like it’s the best place for him to be in terms of the level of sweetness and safety and attention.”
Mira Waller Daniels, 2001, & Ben Daniels, 1998
“Both Ben and I went all the way through MSAE from preschool through graduation, and all of our siblings did as well, we’re the alumni family. We both really felt that an education at MSAE was an important thing that we wanted our kids to have. That’s one of the main reasons we’re still here in Fairfield, other than the fact that our families are here and that’s wonderful to be able to be with them.
I love the extended outdoor space for the kids. The Nature Explore classroom and the greenhouse are so beautiful, there are so many spaces and growing things. The kids take ownership of that stuff, “this is our strawberry patch”, they go over there and it’s their space.
I love the calm, I can tell that Declan craves the calm of the classroom. I love that, with both my boys going through the preschool, I totally see that calm at home.
And the diversity - I love that - because I feel like if there’s one thing above academic learning goal I have it’s to raise them to be citizens of the world and have zero boundary when it comes to any other kid. There are kids from Gambia and India and China and they celebrate the cultures and their uniqueness and it’s a special thing. I love that idea of celebrating difference and diversity because then the kids feel like not only do I get to have all these friends going through school with me, but I get to learn about their cultures that are unique.
Sarah Krone, 1999
After Sarah graduated she went to the University of Iowa and got a BA in English in 2003. She has since lived in New Hampshire, Minnesota, Colorado, before moving back to Fairfield three months ago. Sarah is now working at the preschool in the mornings, and loving the experience.
“I really like the Montessori philosophy, plus I love being outside and being around little kids, so it’s the perfect fit! There’s something really sweet about being around small children even though it’s challenging.”
Brianna Eason, 2006
Brianna attended Maharishi University and graduated in 2010 with a degree in Media and Communications and a minor in business.
“What I was doing before was marketing and web design, which was fun, but I felt like I wasn’t very actively engaged in the community. I felt wasn’t really making that much of a difference. So I decided to shift everything over and work with kids, because it would be a great area where I could contribute and make a difference.
I really like it, it’s a lot of fun. I’m really enjoying it so far.”
