Ambassador

Lalitha Murali’s family moved to Helena, MT, from India in January 2001. That fall, she enrolled her older daughter in the K5 program at a local public school. After the 9/11 incidents, local Indian families experienced discrimination and were even attacked. One day, Murali received a call from her daughter’s Kindergarten teacher that her daughter was excelling academically but had no friends in her class and was having problems fitting in. Murali began to volunteer in her daughter’s class, giving presentations about India and answering questions such as: “Why is your skin darker?” and “Why do you dress like that?” The children were fascinated to hear her story, and suddenly, they all wanted to be friends with her daughter. She realized the importance of diversity and learning about cultural differences at a young age because it allows children to feel more confident in themselves as well as in their interactions with others. That episode in her life encouraged Murali to pursue her degree in education. She believes that schools should be challenging, supportive, and safe environments. Murali makes sure that her curriculum promotes an interactive, child-centered teaching approach with an emphasis on hands-on activities that help students learn, question, and enjoy the learning process. Students learn early in the school year that it is not just about “getting it done” but about seeing how far they can go and how much they can improve. She believes that students need to learn to be forces for social good to better society. Murali ensures that her students understand different personalities, backgrounds, and perspectives in order to empathize with others and build relationships through effective communication and collaboration.