Featured Teacher
WENDY BATAINEH- LEAVING AN INDELIBLE MARK ON ST CHRISTOPHER ’ S SCHOOL BAHRAIN
Wendy describes herself as a Lancashire lass , born and bred , from a family who valued education and really encouraged her to study hard . She enjoyed school , but can remember when she was about fifteen , desperately wanting to leave school and make a start in the world of work . A couple of inspirational teachers ( and her mother ) persuaded her to stay on at school and after A levels , she applied both to teacher training college and to university . From her university days , it was evident that she was destined to spend her whole working life in education .
In her final year at university , she met her first husband , a Jordanian army officer , who was temporarily posted to London . Much to the dismay of her parents , she followed him back to Jordan where they got married .
In Jordan , she was fortunate to be able to combine teaching primary aged international children ( whose parents were working at the university ) with studying for a Masters in Educational Psychology . Her teaching career , which began in Jordan , is now coming to an end after more than forty years . She is about to retire after spending over eighteen years at St Christopher ’ s School in Bahrain .
Wendy is married to Ed Goodwin
OBE , principal of St Christopher ’ s school , who is also the the other featured teacher in this issue of the magazine . Wendy will retire from her role as Head of Junior School at St Christopher ’ s Bahrain at the end of the current academic year 2017-2018 . Before she jets off into retirement bliss , Teach Middle East Magazine chats with Wendy about what she will miss most about the school , her role and the region .
Your time at St Christopher ’ s is drawing to a close . What will you miss most about St Christopher ’ s School and why ?
I will miss the children . It may sound like a cliché , but what has inspired me most over the years has been the bright eyed , eager children that I come across on a daily basis , determined as they are , to learn and have fun . I love the way young children see the world as one big , wonderful adventure . As adults , we can learn a great deal from children ’ s inquisitive and fearless attitude to life .
It has been my educational mantra over the years at all the schools I have worked in . It sounds obvious that , in a school , children should come first , but conflicting pressures , staff opinions , policies and budgets can be such