Into the Wild: Ms. Reeta

Venturing into the literal wild, new staff leave the safety of their monkey-less roads and tackle the great unknown we call Woodstock. The Woodstocker caught up with some of them to chronicle the first chapter of their adventures.

The brand new addition to Woodstock’s mathematics department is Ms. Reeta Menghani: she describes her first impression of Woodstock as “unique when compared to other schools.”

Ms. Menghani, being an experienced teacher who has taught CBSE, ICSE, IGCSE, and IB, said that the reason Woodstock lured her is due to its American style, something which she always wanted to experience and is now “excited and looking forward” to facing the challenges that this new set up will throw at her.

Teaching at the Aga Khan Academy in Hyderabad before joining Woodstock, she recalled that her passion for teaching made her one of the few women who took the admission for a bachelor’s degree of arts in education.

“We were a batch of hundred girls and we were asked who came here by chance and who came here by choice. I was one of the five girls who raised my hand and said choice,” she said.

A strong believer in lifelong learning, she believes that “when you teach, you learn.” This is a quality, to her, that distinguishes teaching from other professions. She said that she looks forward to growing from “the students, staff, and administration” at Woodstock.

Another reason for her choice was to grow accustomed to the cold. She said, “If I talk about my comfort zone, I am not at all comfortable with cold weather, so I thought, let’s take a challenge.”

Transitioning into campus was made smoother for her by numerous old staff. “Initially, when I had come, I did not have to cook for a week. Everybody is very welcoming and approachable. They want you comfortable here,” she said.

Besides teaching, in her free time, Ms.Menghani likes to garden, listen to Bollywood music, read short stories, and watch the television show MTV Roadies.

She also talked about something unique about herself; the fact that she has always found a “mentor” wherever she has gone and is looking forward to the same experience at Woodstock.