Meera Ratnesar: Headmaster of Curtis School
Introduction
In 2023, Meera Ratnesar is in her ninth year as the Head of Curtis School, a DK-6th independent elementary school on the Westside of Los Angeles. She has been in education her entire life, although her career aspirations were never in pedagogy.
She studied math at Bryn Mawr college and always assumed she would go into finance or some quantitative field. But during her post-grad job search, she had two interviews on one day - one for a finance firm and another for an independent school in New York. As she waited to be interviewed for a teacher position, a little boy who wasn’t feeling well ran to her and threw up. Ratnesar took the job at the school and cites this moment as what spurred her into education. “It was in that moment that I made my decision that I was going to go into teaching. Because it was this moment of unpredictability… the notion that this little boy didn’t know who I was, but somehow he knew that in a school building, there are trusted adults that are going to care for him.”
Ratnesar taught math at Trevor Day School for one year, all the while sitting on multiple task forces, chaperoning events and acting as a community service coordinator. She later left to teach math at the Collegiate School where she stayed for the next ten years. While at the Collegiate School, Ratnesar became the Math Curriculum Coordinator, which served as her entry point to school administration. She had already received her first Masters from the Teachers College at Columbia during her 3rd year of teaching. She then got her second Masters from the Teachers College at Columbia and her Doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. Ratnesar worked the entire time while studying, becoming Head of Middle School at Harbor Day School in Orange County and, after five years, becoming the Head of Curtis School in Los Angeles. Although many people attend graduate school full time, Ratnesar found it advantageous to work in schools while also being a student. Ratnesar notes, “...while I'm learning about pedagogy, teaching and instruction… I'm actually experiencing it daily, in the classroom with my own students and with my own teachers… and, you know, taking psychology classes or taking classes around organizational leadership… it's basically like living in a case study while also taking all the coursework.”
Ratnesar embraces the flexibility of being Head of School. She has her hand in a variety of areas, such as the school’s finances, administration and DEI initiatives. Overall, she loves being around young people and being present for their “Aha!” moments as they solve problems. She also loves playing an integral role in fostering an inclusive environment so that every student and family member feels cherished and like they belong.
Mentorship
During her entire career, Ratnesar has always focused on early education. Some may feel mentorship only applies to higher education and above, but Ratnesar believes mentorship is equally important during early childhood; the only difference being in the way it is demonstrated. Ratnesar believes young children need to have mirrors within their environment. For young students in early childhood education, “It is less about having a mentor who’s going to guide them through life choices.” Instead, they really want to know that they’re there, they can see themselves. Therefore, she tries to create a variety of mirrors in their environment through books on the shelves, teachers in the classroom, and narratives within the social studies curriculum.
Ratnesar did not have any mirrors growing up. She encountered her first Asian American teacher during her sophomore year in high school. However, Ratnesar did have adults who served as mentors for her. Although Ratnesar struggled with learning disabilities from a young age, her teachers provided support and made her feel like she had other talents and gifts to contribute to the community. As early as 4th grade, Ratnesar remembers her teacher, Mr. Anderson, being able to understand the way she learns and making the material digestible for her brain. After struggling for so long, she finally felt like she could thrive and be successful in the classroom. A few years later in middle school, Mr. Smith taught her how to have a “growth mindset” before the term even existed. She also learned how to take effective and efficient notes and study for a test. In high school, Ratnesar had an advisor, Dr. Schwartz, who told her parents, “Don’t worry, she’ll blossom.” Although she didn’t provide any advice, her pure support and belief in Ratnesar made a difference in her confidence.
Ratnesar explained the difference between sponsors and mentors. Mentors provide tangible feedback and act as cheerleaders. They are there to support you and help you improve on specific qualities. For example, during her first year of teaching, the department chair of the school helped her restructure her class to be more understandable for young boys. On the other hand, sponsors are people who endorse you and your skills to other people to help with opportunities.
Throughout the many chapters of Ratnesar’s life, she has had a variety of mentors. She believes it is important to take time to reflect on your needs, evaluate where you are in life, and seek out a person who can help guide you through those phases. As a baby and young child, she experienced mentorship from her parents. As she grew older, Ratnesar gained mentors in leadership as she was transitioning to school administration and studying at the Klingenstein Center. Most recently, she has seeked mentors to help her balance being a mom and head of school. She is trying to find working moms who can advise her on making enough quality family time for her children, while also honoring her professional drive and role as Head of School.
Although Ratnesar has been in education her whole life, many of her mentors were not. For example, a few board members at Curtis School have served as mentors for her, sharing their advice and experiences. Ratnesar believes there is always something to take away from other people’s experiences even if their careers do not necessarily align with yours. Her mentors listened and leaned into conversations with her about everything from being a new parent to helping her manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
Paying it Forward
After working at multiple schools, Ratnesar notices that the idea of mentorship may not be “as intentional with the male gender as it is with females.” She thinks a reason for this could be because of the “old boys club.” Since there is already a system in place that exists for men and boys, they don’t necessarily have to seek them out. On the other hand, women have to be more intentional about mentorship and asking for help because there is no institution in place for them. As the head of a co-ed school, Ratnesar worries that co-ed schools may struggle with providing specific gender mentors versus all girl/all boy schools that tend to provide gender mentors and place value on it because they are different mission driven institutions.
Ratnesar believes that humility is a core value for a mentee to possess. She notes, “you’re never going to grow if you’re too proud or too pompous.” Mentorship relationships only work if someone uses the advice and feedback to grow. Honesty and integrity are also important characteristics. Ratnesar notes, mentors “help you to protect your integrity… so that you don’t find yourself… in situations or moments where your integrity might be compromised.” Similarly, mentors need to be humble because they can also learn something from their mentees. “Mentors don’t go into the relationship as the expert.” These mentors are “molders who help you mold into a better person, but they’re not going into it being like I know exactly how you should do it. They give you other ways to think about yourself.”
