World Teachers' Day: UAE parents tell teachers, “We see you, we thank you”

World Teachers' Day 2019 probably didn’t feature on your radar much. But World Teachers' Day 2020 looks a whole lot different. The pandemic, lockdown and the e-learning that went along with it has been a crash course in the irreplaceable value of teachers and the tremendous variety of soft and hard skills that are required to be an effective educator. Teachers of the UAE: We salute you. Here, UAE parents, influencers and mumpreneurs pay homage to the inspirational leaders who are educating their children…

ZEYNA SANJANIA, BRITISH, FAMILY AND LIFESTYLE BLOGGER @MUMMYONMYMIND AND DOODLE ARTIST, MUM TO A 6-YEAR-OLD AND 2-YEAR-OLD: “We are doing a blend of physical and distance learning this term, which means I have got to see the rigorous hard work put in by my son's teachers throughout the school day, and I am in complete awe of their patience and kindness. I want to extend my appreciation and thanks not only to my son’s teachers, but to all teaching staff across Dubai who are doing such an amazing job given the most difficult circumstances. I see the emails you send even in the early hours of the morning, I see you encouraging my child every step of the way, I see you comforting my child when he is feeling vulnerable, I see your kindness and patience seeping through the digital screen that divides you from my child physically but not in emotion. Thank you.”

DONNA BENTON, AUSTRALIAN, FOUNDER & CHAIRMAN OF THE BENTON GROUP AND MUM TO JACK (7) AND CHLOE (10): “The value of teachers has been underrated in the past and now I am glad that everyone can see how integral they are to our children's education. Home learning has been really tough – especially for working mums to juggle. Parents are not teachers and during lockdown this became very apparent. Children need to learn a specific way and in a school environment where they have routine and structure. Friends are key – this is one thing that was definitely missing in lockdown. Kids need kids. Teachers were absolute stars – they had extra work to do, they taught in unfamiliar surroundings, they had to be agile, they had to put up with the parents' frustration as well. The schools and teachers really shined during lockdown. I would like to say to my children's teachers – thank you. Thank you for your patience, thank you for teaching my kids every day, thank you for being present with them and thank you for caring. Lockdown has taught me that every single part of our school fees are worth it, teachers deserve every Dirham that they earn.”

PAUL BAKER, SOUTH AFRICAN FINANCIAL PLANNER AND DAD TO 4-YEAR-OLD JONATHAN: “Lockdown opened my eyes to the thought, effort, and most importantly patience, that goes into teaching. I understand better why my wife Lauren, who is a qualified teacher, my mother (another teacher) and my mother-in-law (a nursery teacher) were tired at the end of a school day. Teaching is tough and it definitely takes a special kind of person to dedicate their life to educating our children. I commend all those teachers who wake up every morning with the passion and care to help us guide and inspire our children on their life journey. Jonathan loves being back at school and his new teachers are awesome, thank you for all that you do, happy World Teachers' Day!”

LARA HAMDAN ABOUCHACRA, LEBANESE, CO-FOUNDER OF CLOUDHOODS, THE COMMUNITY APP FOR MUMS, AND MOTHER TO JAD (10) AND RAYAN (4): “I’ve realised the importance of a teacher's role goes way beyond academics. Getting a child's attention, boosting his confidence in himself and in his peers. Teachers during this time had to encourage the children to focus on the assignment at hand through a screen, deal with frustrated parents or in some cases nannies and tearful students, pressure from school management to make remote learning work and pressure from judgmental parents. All this whilst many of them were homeschooling their own kids. Plus the worry of returning back to a classroom full of kids during a pandemic! I don’t know how they do what they do - but thanks to them our children got through this year.”

TRACY PRESTON, MUM OF TWO GIRLS AND FOUNDER OF UAE MATERNITY AND NURSING CLOTHES STORE MUMMYISTA.COM: “My respect for teachers after remote learning is now at a deeper level. The experience of home learning with my 7 year old and 4 year old opened my eyes to how skilled you need to be to teach and also how versatile that skill needs to be. It also taught me the importance of school itself, the community it creates and how children thrive from the social interaction they get when they are physically present. Technology has been of incredible value during this time, however face to face learning with a real person can never be replaced by it. I would like to thank teachers massively for the resilience, versatility and commitment you have shown throughout the whole of this year. The way you have adapted and continue to do so no matter what this virus throws your way deserves recognition and the utmost respect.”

AMANDA DIAS, INDIAN, SOFT SKILLS CORPORATE TRAINER, MUM OF A 6-YEAR-OLD AND 1-YEAR-OLD AND BLOGGER AT RAISINGMYKNIGHTS.COM: “E-learning with my 6-year-old has been a constant challenge; trying to keep him focused, checking his understanding, making sure he is learning. Teachers have had to go above and beyond during lockdown and it’s made me realize how much we depend on them. I absolutely commend the hard work, dedication and commitment that has to be given to each child. I’ve learnt that schools are about so much more than just reading and writing: being in a school environment and interacting with other children they learn problem solving, emotional intelligence, activities, consequences and so much more.”

SOPHIE BOGDIS, AUSTRALIAN, EVENT COMPANY OWNER AND MUM OF THREE BOYS AGED 6, 3 AND 2: “I opted for in school learning as soon as it was possible. Home Schooling was tough for me and my boys, mostly because of their ages and short attention span. Aside from the struggles of teaching, I think it’s so important for children to be with other children and to be social. This is also a way of learning and that cannot be taught at home by adults. I am happy to see the other side of home schooling and never wish to return to it, if I can help it. I don’t have the patience that teachers do at all.”

NANCY NAJM, LEBANESE, CO-FOUNDER OF CLOUDHOODS, THE COMMUNITY APP FOR MUMS, AND MOTHER TO TEO, (6) AND KAI (3): “Lockdown and eLearning taught me so many things about the value of teachers. I’ve always valued them, but during lockdown I realized just how important and difficult their job is. We had lots of meltdowns and tantrums whilst I had my ‘teacher hat’ on. It is definitely not for me! It's such a difficult job to be able to take care of 20 kids and keep them interested in each topic and what is being taught while being in front of a screen. How to keep them intrigued, confident and how to know the strength and weakness of each child - to be encouraging of each student. All this while many of them being parents themselves, and having to homeschool and take care of their own kids too. I found that the teachers were going out of their way to make the kids feel as if everything is normal - making them feel at ease, happy and engaged. In conclusion, teachers are superheroes! Hats off to all the teachers out there. It is so true when they say not all heroes wear capes! They really do have my respect.”