May 22, 20216 min read

My K12 Story, Journey So Far : Dr. Shelly Bhutani, Educationist, Eduleader & Motivational Speaker

SHARING AN INSPIRING AND EVENTFUL JOURNEY OF DR. SHELLY BHUTANI- A PASSIONATE EDUCATIONIST, LEADER, MENTOR, ADVISOR, CBSE MASTER TRAINER , AUTHOR , MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIP COUNSELLOR WITH 23 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN EDUCATION.

DR. SHELLY BHUTANI

PH.D / M. Tech / MCA / B. Ed

Life - “Life is not bed of roses, you will know this fact as life changes it poses, one minute it is full of fun, the other minute it leaves you with none…..!!"

Since childhood, I have been very ambitious. I belonged to Delhi, my family’s equal treatment made me believe I am no less than any man. All this gave birth to the ambitions of a girl.

Since then, I have convinced myself to believe “Shelly”, you can do anything”, “Everything is possible in this world” and above all, God has given me a lot of capabilities and I can change the world for good.

I promised myself that I won’t let my capabilities and ambitions die from the want of a routine and secured life. I have tried working for different establishments.

My Belief – “In this world, everything is possible irrespective of gender, if one is ready to take charge.”

My parents and my sister inspired me to stand up for what I believed in even if it makes me stand out.

I’ve had the courage of conviction to believe I can make a difference and create a sustainable impact in multiple ways.

It is with great enthusiasm that I write to submit my journey as a proud daughter . adorable sister and passionate woman. I have earned a doctorate degree in Computer Science, a Masters in Computer Science & Technology both. In Educational Leadership , I have completed many pieces of training towards it. With 11 years of experience as a Head of the School and 12 years experience in hands-on teaching, I am confident that I possess the qualifications required to help district promote its philosophy and goals.

I am the educational leader and administrator in charge of all programs and initiatives. I am working closely with faculty to realign the curriculum to the Common Core and modify instruction to best prepare students for the Keystone exams. I supervised a diverse staff and more than 3,000 plus students. Coordinated Classrooms for the Future and have utilized Standards Aligned Systems, Measures of Academic Progress and Value-Added Assessment to improve the effectiveness of instruction. Additionally, I am attached to so many associations as a member.

My greatest strengths include collaborative leadership, strategic planning, empowering educators to develop their leadership and instructional skills, independent academic program development in technology, science, and math, coordination and leadership in the community and pedagogical programs, and identification/implementation of organizational programs. I foster strong working relationships with local and school communities and facilitate the integration of initiatives designed to enhance the school environment.

As an educationist , I aspire to a school culture and educational program conducive to student learning and development. Families are under tremendous challenges today, and I seek to foster positive behavior, student and faculty teamwork, and cooperation in the school environment. I initiate and lead programs to provide clear, concise information both internally to professional staff and externally to students and parents. My belief is that students make choices, and most of the time there are natural consequences for these choices. They should be held accountable in a consistent and fair manner.

AWARDS :

• Awarded with INDIAN AWARD FOR SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT MANAGEMENT

• Appreciated with Leadership Quality.

• Awarded with National Award for Excellence in School Education in 2011.

• Awarded with GLOBAL HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION AWARD 2012.

• Awarded with ECO – FRIENDLY SCHOOL OF THE YEAR 2013.

• Awarded /Appreciated continuous support towards Commerce Teachers Association

• Awarded with LEADERSHIP & MANAGERIAL SKILL AWARD FROM MINISTER OF HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT GOVT OF INDIA .

• Awarded with HONOUR ON Teachers Day .

• Awarded with Leadership Quality In education from UK- London .

• Awarded with SAVE AWARD – SKILL & VOCATIONAL EDUCATION .

• Awarded with Mahila Shakti Award .

• Awarded with Women Achiever’s Award.

• Awarded with Nari Shakti Award

• Awarded with Progressive Principal of the year Award.

• Awarded with so many Award as motivational speaker.

Book WRITTEN IN COMPUTER SCIENCE FOR CLASSES 1 – X

WORKSHOPS / Trainings ATTENDED

1. TRAINING – 9TH MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME ON LEADERSHIP

IN EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION FOR PRINCIPALS OF SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS - BY CBSE BY NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATIONAL PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION.

2. TRAINING TAKEN FOR 10 DAYS IN LEADERSHIP EDUCATIONAL ADMINISTRATION FOR PRINCIPALS.

3. ATTENDED NATIONAL SUMMIT OF SCHOOL PRINCIPALS ON MOTIVATING TEACHERS IN CHANGING TIMES INSTITUTE OF COUNSELLOR TRAINING RESEARCH & CONSULTANCY

4. TRAINING TAKEN IN SCHOOL SECURITY MANAGEMENT BY ACTION COMMITTEE.

5. ATTENDED NATIONAL SUMMIT OF SCHOOL PRINCIPALS ON DISCIPLINE – NEW CHALLENGES “BY INSTITUTE OF COUNSELLOR TRAINING RESEARCH & CONSULTANCY .

6. APPOINTED FOR INSPECTION FROM CBSE FOR RAFFLES INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL –IN WITH REGIONAL DIRECTOR – PITAM SINGH OF CBSE.

7. APPOINTED AS MENTOR BY CBSE FOR 7 SCHOOLS IN DELHI.

8. ATTENDED WORKSHOP ON BEHAVIOR ISSUES IN ADOLESCENCES ORGANIZED BY NIE.

9. ATTENDED WORKSHOP ON EFFECTIVE TEACHING METHODOLOGY ORGANIZED BY MACMILLAN PUBLICATION.

10. ATTENDED INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON” EXCELLENCE IN SCHOOL EDUCATION” HELD FROM 28TH -30TH DECEMBER’ 2014 AT INDIAN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, DELHI.

11. ATTENDED SUMMIT ON DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP AND INTERNET MATURITY (DCIM).

12. ATTENDED CONFERENCE ON TRANSFORMATIONAL SCHOOL PRINCIPAL , DELHI ORGANIZED BY Times Of India .

13. ATTENDED TRAINING PROGRAM IN CBSE EXCELLENCE, GURUGRAM.

14. ATTENDED TRAINING PROGRAM ON GENDER SENSITIVITY FROM CBSE.

Lonely but not Alone

There is no doubt that leadership is a lonely experience. The need to make unpopular decisions, the need to stand alone, and often apart all mean that loneliness is part and parcel of the job.

This does not mean that a principal needs to be alone.

Now, more than ever, it is important to establish community. All principals have support networks, allies in other schools, associations, appraisers etc. All of these provide perspective and balance for a principal. Now though, it is time to reexamine what networks we want to be part of.

Now more than ever, it is important to belong but to belong according to our needs and wants.

It is a Journey, Not a Destination

I talked earlier about the shifting sands that we build our institutions on. The reality of being a leader is that we never arrive at the final destination. We never quite master the job. There is always going to be a new cohort of learners, demographic changes in our community, educational developments and initiatives, changes in government, socio-economic changes, etc. We deal with people and people are not static; they are an annoyingly complex ever-changing entity and so schools will always exist in a state of flux, where the only constant is change.

So, we need to stop aiming at the final destination and instead focus on making sure the journey is as smooth as possible for everyone involved. It is the journey that needs to meet the needs of the school community, not the destination. Just as the journey ends for one cohort, it begins for another. Often, the constant who navigates the journey is the principal. Focus on the act of being in a state of constantly arriving, rather than striving to be in a state of arrival.

This manifest itself in enjoying the simple events on the journey. Taking the time to focus on the immediate as well as future goals. I admire the principals who take the time to greet the students as they arrive at school and farewell them as they leave on a daily basis. The time taken to connect, to be part of their daily lives is mutually beneficial. It makes the students feel important and is remarkably therapeutic for a principal.

Accept that you can’t control every aspect of your daily life and settle in to enjoy the ride.

Hardships - “With the early morning’s light and with the dawn turning into the night, there is only one thought in my mind, why aren’t my days so bright , why are the colours so light? Where are the golden days, who shall show me its pathways? Louder than the thunder and faster than the light, shall I travel to reach my sight, of the past days, full of lovely ways , to make every moment cherishing as who knows the future, life keeps on perishing……! I smiled thinking how beautifully they depict the growth of a small girl into a young woman. My two cents here: Plan your future, value your relationships and enjoy your life.