Valérie Médard-Ramchurn, an Art & Design teacher for 18 years, began her career in 2006 just after finishing her studies at Beaux-Arts. Her path seems almost predestined, coming from a family of teachers. His father, a former teacher turned principal, his mother, who worked in a nursery school, and his sister, a Deputy Head Master, all helped shape his vision of education.
“My first teacher was my mom, who showed me everything before I even started school,” she remembers. Among the other notable figures in her career, she cites Madame Claudine du Lorette de Port-Louis, and Mr. Hans Ramduth, her professor of art history at the university. “He is an inspiration to me. A true living encyclopedia,” she says with admiration.
In parallel with her university studies, Valérie Médard-Ramchurn became passionate about Kuchipudi dance, a Telugu dance that she learned with Shrimati Premila Balakrishna Uppamah. This experience was remarkable, not only for the technique, but also for the kind welcome from his teacher. “I was a Catholic girl learning a Telugu dance, and she did everything to make me feel good,” she says.
At the beginning, Valérie Médard-Ramchurn did not see herself in teaching. “I wanted to be an artist full-time, but teaching came naturally,” she admits. From her first class, she felt at home. However, the challenges of classroom discipline are very present today. She attributes this in part to social media and mobile gaming, which she says distract young people from their studies. “There is also the violence of the games which is reflected in their behavior,” she notes.
