Words by Muna

Teachers are the role models of society. They are our first and foremost educators and the anchors for modern-day civilization. They instill certain values in children and teach them about the importance of discipline and perseverance. Teachers sow the seeds of education in the minds of our children and nurture them to become respectable members of the society and responsible citizens. Today, we at Ka Leo celebrate World Teachers’ Day to thank teachers for the difference they make and acknowledge their significant contribution to the country. To get a clear insight of this noble profession, we interviewed some teachers of the kindergarten – Little Gems Preschool.

Little Gems Preschool opened its doors in 2015 as a half government/half private pre-school with only 13 staffs and 200 students and accommodated students of JKG and SKG. One year later, they started teaching students of all kindergarten grades including nursery and baby nursery. Today, it’s a completely private school that is accommodating the highest number of students among all the kindergartens in Hulhumale’ with over 700 students.

Teaching itself calls for a tremendous amount of patience and hard work but taking on the task of shaping young minds poses even a bigger responsibility. “We have introduced life skills as a new subject this year to help students build confidence in both communication and cooperative skills. We try to instill leadership skills in these young minds by assigning them as class monitor, line leader or clean up leader. We feel that this subject is just as important as any other subject because life skills go hand in hand with their development and help them succeed later in life. ” Nafu, Assistant Head Teacher explains. “As for other subjects, we follow the national curriculum of teaching whilst maintaining a higher standard than average. The teachers prepare worksheets and lessons by themselves and the head teachers check them. These worksheets are prepared according to the students’ level too. Generally there are 3 levels in school so we keep in mind to prepare the worksheets accordingly.”

For over a year, schools have been deserted due to the ongoing pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many changes in our lives to meet the repercussions of the pandemic control measures, and the education sector was no exception. As a result, education has evolved drastically, with the distinctive rise of e-learning, whereby teaching is undertaken remotely and on digital platforms. We inquired about the challenges faced by the teachers due to the pandemic and Nafu replied, “Teaching online was something extremely new to us which nobody had any experience of so it became quite a learning experience for us. We teachers taught among ourselves on how to use different features of the apps for conducting online classes. Although it was challenging at first, we did not drop a single subject and followed through the scheme. We learnt how to record, edit and create lesson videos and teaching aids. Some of our videos were shared on the telekilaas program shown on Dhivehi channel during the pandemic. When the restrictions were eased, teachers were allowed to visit the school to prepare the video lessons and conduct classes as every class will have a computer system with webcam to facilitate them to do so. We felt our hard work paid off when we got really positive feedback from the parents for continuing the classes even during the pandemic. It was a tough time as we were doing all this with the uncertainty and fear of a raging pandemic on the back of our minds.”

Teaching is not a 9am to 2pm job with 12 weeks of holidays. It’s before and after school hours planning, marking and connecting with parents. It’s learning from colleagues and sharing good practice. It’s sports and other activities after school or on the weekends. For those who have dedicated their lives to teaching others, it’s good to reflect on the vital importance the teachers play in shaping the world around us and hear their concerns. Nash, Coordinator of Nursery/Baby nursery explained how a typical day of a teacher goes by “After spending the better part of the day at school, we are busy preparing for the lessons of the next day at home. And if a kid behaved out of the ordinary or somewhat strangely during class, our minds are occupied with the thought of that kid and how to approach him/her the next day. Needless to say, teachers are overworked and undervalued in our society. Especially pre-school teachers are implied not to have any qualifications or proper training. It’s one thing not to be appreciated and valued for the work we do but it’s even more upsetting that we are always on the sharp end of public criticism.”

Despite all the hurdles and criticism a teacher faces, nothing is more rewarding to a teacher than seeing their students succeed. According to the teachers at Little Gems preschool, when a former student of theirs win an award it validates their belief of being part of an entire network of educators who together made it happen. “We feel very happy and content when we see a student of ours win a competition or receive an award. These are the times when we feel that they ‘got it,’ and that we did our job well. We can proudly say that we were their first teachers. We feel that we have achieved a personal goal and brim with pride to see a student of ours reach the stars.” Another thing that teachers find fulfilling is being acknowledged by parents and former students. “Sometimes when I bump into a former student on the road or somewhere, they will come running and hug me. I feel like I have made a lasting impact on them that they still remember me. Likewise, there are times that when we come across parents of our old students, they would say that I’m still the favorite teacher of their kid. It’s even more heartwarming to hear parents of students with special needs say that we took good care of them and that their child actually learnt something from us. These are memories that I will cherish forever.” Nafu beams excitedly.

Indubitably, education is a fundamental aspect in the development of a country. Teachers who carry out the vital role of shaping leaders of the future need to be given the utmost importance and their voices need to be heard. They have been our inspiration and parentfigures outside of our home who taught us invaluable lessons about life. To honor these remarkable people in our lives, we at Ka Leo wish the teachers of Little Gems Preschool and all the teachers a very delightful Teachers Day.