Maharishi School graduate Noah Schechtman (1997) and his wife Vidya were recently highlighted in an MUM Achievements article. The article is re-printed below.
Alumni Couple Implements Quiet Time Program in San Francisco Schools
-- by Katie Kelefant
According to a recent NBC News report, reduced school violence and suspension, improved academic performance and attendance, reduced anxiety and stress, and increased self-esteem and happiness are just a few of the striking results the Quiet Time program has achieved in some of San Francisco’s most stressful schools since the program’s 2007 launch.
MUM alumni Noah and Vidya Schechtman are part of the team that has taught the Transcendental Meditation® program to over 5000 students in a dozen schools in the San Francisco Bay area. Noah is now program director at the Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education (CWAE), responsible for implementing the Quiet Time program in schools, prisons, businesses, and non-profit institutions.
Noah earned a BA in Maharishi Vedic Science in 2002 from MUM, and Vidya graduated with a BA in Business in 2004. “My education at MUM was very well rounded,” said Vidya. “The business program prepared me to become a manager. The emphasis on balance in life, because we work really hard, was very helpful.”
The CWAE currently has a waiting list of 10 schools wanting to implement the Quiet Time program. “When we started doing this nine years ago the schools thought this was out of their paradigm, and we had to convince them to give it a try,” said Noah. “Now when we start the conversation they cut us short and say ‘We have heard the stories, we just want to know how we can have it in our school.’ ”
An increasing body of independent research studies has been documenting the benefits of the Quiet Time program, resulting in its widespread acceptance as well as funding from a variety of sources. In addition, the CWAE received the Public Health Champion Award from The National Community-Based Organization Network (NCBON). What started out as a pilot program turned into a stable and fulfilling career for Noah and Vidya.
