Dubai: Imagine fourth graders-turned-mini-archaeologists looking for real bones in an “excavation site”, students learning maths through a puppet, and students having a real-life juggler in class so they would behave.
These scenarios may seem out of the ordinary and they are. But would you believe they are real-life events that actually happened inside Dubai classrooms thanks to passionate teachers?
The Knowledge of Human Development Authority (KHDA) and the Mums of KHDA honoured these teachers, along with hundreds more who make sure learning is fun, on Thursday to mark the occasion of the World Teachers’ Day.
Called #TeachersOfDubai, the initiative recognised the tireless efforts teachers put in for ensuring their students learn not only academically but, most importantly, learn about life. The recognition also explored every teacher’s story — how they became one, their inspiration, and their sense of fulfilment.
Dr Abdullah Al Karam, KHDA director-general, said among all the authority’s initiatives recognising teachers, this is closest to his heart.
“The #TeachersOfDubai taught us how to empathise with what teachers go through because this is where we learn the most — when we put ourselves in somebody else’s shoes. It told real-life stories that have not been told and reflected true human spirit,” Dr Al Karam said.
He said the initiative also recognised the extensive work and preparation teachers do and which cannot be quantified.
“Sometimes we try to measure things but these measuring tools don’t do justice. The #TeachersOfDubai touches more on the emotional level rather than the grade and that their impact is too big to be measured. Their effort as a teacher is not in the classroom, not what you see in the grade, but with that kid (student) down the road who will remember that teacher for the great things he did.”
The teachers’ individual stories were featured in social media campaigns where parents, students, and even co-teachers got to say something about their favourite teachers in private schools in Dubai, numbering around 18,000.
Of this number, 600 were interviewed by the five KHDA mums and 50 made it into a book released on Thursday.
Charlotte Rayner, an outdoor learning teacher and among those featured, said she was grateful for the recognition.
“I think it’s absolutely lovely that the parents are recognising teachers as well. We see it [recognition] from the students themselves when they give you a hug, when they give you a smile. So it’s actually brilliant that the parents are recognising teachers as well,” Rayner told Gulf News.
Florian Galas, a physical education teacher, said the recognition made him proud of the work they (teachers) do. “I feel so happy that we have people who recognise the importance of teachers and how we help develop children’s characters and make sure that they have a positive impact on our society.”
Anisah Esmail, one of the mums who worked on the project, said the idea was inspired by the Humans of New York photoblog and book that features street portraits of people on the streets of New York and their stories. In their case, the teachers’ stories bring a wealth of information and life experience into the classroom.
“It’s really important for our kids to get a wealth of skills. Far beyond the grades, we want them to be well-rounded individuals and they can get that from other well-rounded individuals like these teachers. We can’t just be someone who’s academic and sits in a classroom and teaches from a textbook. He has to be somebody who’s got all the skills, enthusiasm, passion, dedication, commitment, a sense of humour, creativity and innovation.”
What does it mean to be a teacher?
