Professional Profile
My Journey
When children are busy enjoying their time in class, they benefit from the learning happening at the same time. The eagerness children display while anticipating an exciting day in the classroom comes with the added advantage of having subject knowledge anchored to good memories that they carry forward with them into the subsequent stages of their academic, social and physical growth. My mission statement from the early stages of my career has been to make learning fun.
I continue to further my career in Education in order to prepare myself with the necessary tools in order to adapt to the industry as needed. Although I have been teaching for over ten years, I find myself continuously striving to up-skill myself in order to meet the ever-changing requirements of teaching and learning in the modern-day education systems. These changes can be attributed to the introduction of technology in school systems, a new and improved understanding of how children learn as well as the necessity dictated by the current climate.
I believe that my experience has shown me that education, especially at the primary level, is my passion and what I was meant to do. I have experimented with other career options, however teaching and learning is where I find the most fulfilment and where I am most effective.
When I embarked on my academic journey, I was still experimenting with various career prospects and although I chose not to pursue a career in the music industry, I will forever appreciate the discipline and work ethic that a bachelor’s degree in Audio Production has instilled in me. It has also given me the added advantage of being proficient with media editing and production, a skill that has been useful in various situations as an educator. My additional iPgCPP course that I took was extremely relevant and recommended to me by my company's PD department as a way of solidifying my status as a teacher in the region. I have also prepared professionally for a career in English Language Learning by earning a TEFL diploma, providing me with additional training relevant in international schools. Most recently, I have completed my Diploma in Global Teaching Practice through TELLAL, certified by QUALIFI (UK).
Throughout my tenure as a primary teacher in the UAE with GEMS Education, I have participated in a number of professional development courses and school initiatives. Most notably, I was involved in the steering group tasked with implementing High Performance Learning (HPL) to further develop the school's teaching and learning and upgrade its status to a World Class School. I have a supportive and professional senior leadership team at my school that have consistently improved our work culture by bringing in newer teaching philosophies and delivering high quality professional development enabling all of their teachers to learn and grow.
I am a keen learner and strong advocate for the use of technology in the classroom. Teaching international students has given me unique insights into different cultures' pedagogical approaches to learning as well as a vast amount of general knowledge about the world beyond that in which I have grown up.
Teaching has given me the opportunity to follow a natural progression into the field of coaching and professional development, helping educational professionals to acquire new pedagogical approaches and skills as well as identify and foster existing strengths. My outlook is that professional development is a culture that needs to be embedded in an organisation so every experience turns into an opportunity for reflection, collaboration and the improvement of the institution as a whole.
I add value to entities with which I work, always doing my utmost to apply the experience from my educational and professional background to contribute and develop a culture focused on growth and innovation. This is especially essential as the past few years have indicated not only the uncertainty of educational formats in the future but also the potential for impactful solutions yet to be implemented.