‍Brief Biography: ‍

Born and raised in Kolkata, India, Probhita was blessed to have parents who loved Christ and people. Growing up in a home without television but filled with books, music, and lively conversation, she was encouraged to delight in learning and truth. Her parents' devotion to Christ and their love for great literature shaped her mind and heart. After completing seminary, she returned to India to serve in the ministry her parents had founded and later joined her husband in missions. When their children reached school age, they began homeschooling, which awakened in her a deep appreciation for education. Her discovery of Charlotte Mason's writings eventually led her to Ambleside Schools International and the philosophy of Charlotte Mason. After completing their three-year Master Teacher Course, Probhita and her family moved to Ocala, Florida, where she now serves as director and tenth-grade humanities instructor at Ambleside Ocala's high school.

Research Interests:

Probhita intends to draw deeply from all that she gains at Hillsdale to grow in leadership and pedagogical understanding. She aspires to encourage in both students and teachers a renewed appreciation for the value of a classically minded liberal arts education. She believes that the next generation of world leaders are even now seated in high school classrooms and that they must be inspired and equipped to recognize wisdom and lead their communities toward truth and light. Her goal is to be of use in schools so that both educators and students are directed to what is good, true, and beautiful, and to become places where learning builds character and restores wonder. She holds that educators bear the sacred responsibility to model the right posture toward learning and the liberty it bestows.

Extracurricular Academic Activities:

‍Probhita delights in assisting The Calcutta Emmanuel School in Kolkata, India, which partners with Ambleside Schools International. The school her parents founded, serving exclusively underprivileged students, more than 400 in number, holds a special place in her heart. She considers it an honor to support its elementary and junior school teachers and to play a role in assisting them as they cultivate the students entrusted to their care.

What brought you to Hillsdale?

I have always deeply respected the College's steadfast commitment to truth and virtue through Imprimis, but when I discovered the master's program in Classical Education Leadership, I immediately recognized the opportunity. While other programs in education and leadership exist, few align with the classical and liberal vision that Hillsdale embodies. I came seeking to grow as both a leader and an educator—to understand more fully the context of Charlotte Mason's philosophy and her role within the greater conversation of classical education, and to deepen my own formation as a leader. I desire to learn from those grounded in the classical forms of pedagogy—not as a nouveau movement, but as one that emerges contextually, rooted in the historic conversation through time, and setting our sights on Quintilian's "...enduring reward and delight of the inner man." For this, I'm so grateful!

What has been the thing you've appreciated most about your time here?

I have come to respect Hillsdale even more deeply during my time here. It truly stands as a bastion of truth in an age of confusion. The professors model humility and passion as lifelong learners, and their love for the Great Books and the great minds of education is contagious. Though I did not come from a classical background, I have always felt respected and included. No question is dismissed, and every discussion invites wonder and depth. The intellectual fellowship at Hillsdale continually reminds me why true education is sacred work.

What has been your greatest academic challenge thus far?

‍"Nothing fine is ever done without struggle." These words by Melanchthon ring true. The copious reading and writing is not for the faint-hearted, especially when working full time in the demanding nature of a school. But the joys of understanding the history and nature of education, the camaraderie, conversation and inspiration are worth every bit of that struggle. I have found a deeper appreciation for what my school represents and for the mission to lead students into the love of learning. They deserve our labor.

What is distinctive about Hillsdale's Graduate School of Classical Education?

‍Hillsdale's Graduate School of Classical Education Leadership is distinctive because it equips educators to not only to understand pedagogy but to effectively lead in the very trenches of education at a time when it is most threatened. Without a clear grasp of the philosophy of classical education and the history of the liberal arts, we risk desecrating the very movement of learning. Hillsdale forms leaders who recognize education as something divinely preserved through time and directed toward the formation of wisdom and virtue. This enables leadership to adequately support faculty, be better informed of curricula practices and nurture school culture with clarity and purpose.

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