Maharishi School introduces new Head of School Brett Potash

FAIRFIELD – Maharishi School has announced that it has hired a new Head of School.

In early May, current Head of School Dr. Richard Beall announced that the school’s board of directors had appointed Brett Potash as incoming Head of School for the 2025-26 school year. Potash grew up in a small town in Ohio, and has spent the past two decades as a teacher and administrator at schools across the nation and the world, in countries such as Japan, Bulgaria and Slovakia.

Potash said that, though he is new to Transcendental Meditation, he is no stranger to meditation, and has maintained a meditative practice rooted in mindfulness for 30 years. He’s also done a lot of research on attention and how a school can train its students to improve their attention span.

“The first 10 years I was teaching, no one really talked about attention outside of maybe ADHD, but within the last 10 years, everyone is talking about it, and our attention is now at the center of a global economy,” Potash said. “I would say it’s the most valuable resource we have. For me, being able to direct it the way we want is increasingly important.”

When Potash saw online that Maharishi School was looking for a new Head of School, he read up on the school, and liked what he saw.

“If I had to design a school from scratch, it would look a lot like this school,” he said. “I would have ended up in a similar place of having daily meditation, an international student body, vegetarian meals and things like that. The school is doing all the right things.”

Beall stepped down as Head of School a few years ago, only to come out of retirement midway through the year when the new Head of School had to resign for a family emergency. Beall said he doesn’t plan to fully retire this time, and will continue to teach his Advanced Placement Psychology class to upper school students next year.

“I really love teaching that, and it’s such a practical and insightful course for the students, especially seniors,” Beall said. “It’s hard to let go of that one.”

Beall said he plans to use his extra free time to develop Consciousness-Based Education curriculum, and writing a book about this curriculum and his 40-plus years in education. He knows he’s leaving his position as Head of School in the hands of an experienced professional.

“There was so much compatibility from his background and his specific interests, that it felt like a fit from the start,” Beall said about Potash. “Everyone who had an opportunity to meet Brett, from our teachers, parents and students, all had a very positive impression.”

Joining Potash in his move from California to Iowa are his wife of 17 years, Betsy, a former educator who now develops curriculum designed to foster creativity, and their children Nate, 13, and Lucy, 9. Potash said about his children that Nate “can solve a Rubik’s cube in under 20 seconds,” and Lucy “loves horses and runs the family.”

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com

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