As you may know, I am a primary school teacher who is currently teaching in Oman. I have taught previously in Kuwait and have now taught abroad for 3 and half years. I can't believe the time has flown but it has been a very interesting, enjoyable and challenging experience.
Today, I wanted to write about how I felt as a British teacher working in the Middle East, specifically Oman.
I have taught at my current school for 2 and half years and I must say in my first year I throughly enjoyed it. My class reminded me so much of my NQT class and it was really and truly lovely. The next year was good but it came with challenges.
In the Middle East, depending on the school and the package it offers, attracts a different range of people. Top schools like BSM and TAISM, must have an excellent package but also strict guidelines with who they employ. I think there is an issue with recruiting good quality teachers. From my experience, lots of teachers who may have been great in their home country have fallen into bad habits.
Another reason is more recently, UK universities have been delivering a distance learning course called the iPGCE which is basically an international PGCE. However, I have come to know that it is actually only accepted in the Middle East and in some schools not all. The point of why I am bringing this up, is that many people are enrolling on this course with good intention but schools are not providing sufficient support. Personally, if as a school you cannot offer the right level of support you should not employ teachers with this qualification. This is because teaching must be of a high quality to have maximum impact on teaching and learning and the progression of the child.
Due to my own personal experience in my school, I am not a fan of this course. In comparison to a reputable career, you wouldn't have a potential doctor taking an online course and being allowed to just perform a surgery on a patient. It is all about the experience, process and reflection on your practice which I feel some educators lack in the Middle East.
However, in terms of the positive aspects I have really been able to focus on developing my CPD as a teacher and member of SLT. I have been lucky to attend the Senior Leadership Course delivered by Karen Ardley and where I got to meet many people who attended the Middle Leaders Course a few years back. I also took the initiative to complete online courses related to the the growth mindset, science, child protection, harmony programme to keep up to date with the changes in education but also to further and better my teaching practice.
I have also been lucky to secure two positions as ClassDojo Ambassador and GoNoodle Ambassador in Oman which is amazing. I have played a key part in rolling out ClassDojo in my school and promoting the use of GoNoodle to encourage movement and mindfulness in class.
I am enjoying my experience teaching as I've had amazing classes of children and tremendous support from the parents. However it comes with its many challenges too, which have helped me to define myself as a person and as a teacher. I'm proud of the effort I put in to ensure I deliver well planned, stimulating and exciting learning experiences for my children.
I have posted a selection of photos from my classroom and of the children's learning too.
Love, Sara x
Today, I wanted to write about how I felt as a British teacher working in the Middle East, specifically Oman.
I have taught at my current school for 2 and half years and I must say in my first year I throughly enjoyed it. My class reminded me so much of my NQT class and it was really and truly lovely. The next year was good but it came with challenges.
In the Middle East, depending on the school and the package it offers, attracts a different range of people. Top schools like BSM and TAISM, must have an excellent package but also strict guidelines with who they employ. I think there is an issue with recruiting good quality teachers. From my experience, lots of teachers who may have been great in their home country have fallen into bad habits.
Another reason is more recently, UK universities have been delivering a distance learning course called the iPGCE which is basically an international PGCE. However, I have come to know that it is actually only accepted in the Middle East and in some schools not all. The point of why I am bringing this up, is that many people are enrolling on this course with good intention but schools are not providing sufficient support. Personally, if as a school you cannot offer the right level of support you should not employ teachers with this qualification. This is because teaching must be of a high quality to have maximum impact on teaching and learning and the progression of the child.
Due to my own personal experience in my school, I am not a fan of this course. In comparison to a reputable career, you wouldn't have a potential doctor taking an online course and being allowed to just perform a surgery on a patient. It is all about the experience, process and reflection on your practice which I feel some educators lack in the Middle East.
However, in terms of the positive aspects I have really been able to focus on developing my CPD as a teacher and member of SLT. I have been lucky to attend the Senior Leadership Course delivered by Karen Ardley and where I got to meet many people who attended the Middle Leaders Course a few years back. I also took the initiative to complete online courses related to the the growth mindset, science, child protection, harmony programme to keep up to date with the changes in education but also to further and better my teaching practice.
I have also been lucky to secure two positions as ClassDojo Ambassador and GoNoodle Ambassador in Oman which is amazing. I have played a key part in rolling out ClassDojo in my school and promoting the use of GoNoodle to encourage movement and mindfulness in class.
I am enjoying my experience teaching as I've had amazing classes of children and tremendous support from the parents. However it comes with its many challenges too, which have helped me to define myself as a person and as a teacher. I'm proud of the effort I put in to ensure I deliver well planned, stimulating and exciting learning experiences for my children.
I have posted a selection of photos from my classroom and of the children's learning too.
Love, Sara x
