Sharing Good Practice
Advice for teachers new
to the UAE
By Bettina Bennett
A
friend of mine arrived who is
a teacher in Abu Dhabi just
arrived earlier this semester,
and while I tried to prepare
him for the chaos that is part of our
arrival into this new land, I know he is
still having a rough go of it right now.
He’s also having a blast making new
friends and discovering the wonders of
this place. This is the way it is for most
of us when we first arrive. On t he one
hand, it’s so incredibly awesome, on
the other not so much.
I’m excited for my friend and all the
new teachers arriving this year, but I
also feel for them. They’re nervous,
they’re overwhelmed, and they’re
wondering if they have what it takes
to succeed here. If I had the time to sit
with them, I would share what I’ve told
my friend.
1. Breathe. You can do this. Just don’t
try to do it your way right away.
You’ll only go back to forgetting to
breathe again.
2. Go with what you’re being told
to do. Don’t waste valuable time
questioning your definition of logic.
You have a lot to do these first few
months, many of which you’ll find
yourself redoing several times.
Just go with it for now and keep
breathing.
3. Try very hard to learn how to say
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a few Arabic words. Start with
shukran, which translates to thank
you. You’ll eventually learn the
common phrases that baffle you
now.
4. Don’t expect everything to be in
order. Your principal may not know
you’re coming. Your apartment
may not have been cleaned. Your
furniture delivery guys may say
they’re coming at 4 p.m., only to
show up close to midnight, or worse
while you’re at work. Things either
happen too slowly or too quickly …
by our expectations. Remember
this isn’t your way of doing things.
You will, however, learn to accept
this.
5. Most importantly, I’m bolding this:
get your classroom management
routines in order ASAP. Of course,
as a teacher you know this, but
trust me you may not know what
to do here. Ask your coworkers for
tips. Listen, really, to what they
tell you. I asked, and I heard the
words, but I knew my personality
would pull through (like it always
has in the past) and that I wouldn’t
need to be that structured. I knew
nothing, and it took months before I
finally managed some sort of order
to my day. Luckily, I had wonderful
coworkers who shared their best
practices and even modeled them
for me. If you don’t have that, ask
Class Time
every educator friend you know.
Keep asking until you find what
works for you.
6. Erase “that’s not fair” from your
way of thinking. You may want
to throw a temper tantrum or two
yelling those very words, but you
already know it won’t do you any
good. Like you tell your students,
find a solution versus excuses. You
may want to highlight this for later.
7. Build your social network. You
will need your friends to help you
adjust and find the humour with
the bad moments. Plus, it’s good to
have fun. This is a wonderful place
to explore.
8. That said, don’t come here
expecting it to be all fun and
games. We are teaching, and
you will have to figure out that
curriculum and how to adjust it to
your kids. You’ll bring more work
home those first few weeks (maybe
months) than you expected, but this
will eventually balance out.
In conclusion, don’t let my or anyone
else’s words stress you out. This is
uniquely your experience. You will
be the one living this life and none
of us can tell you what will or won’t
work for you. I can, however, tell you
that despite the hurdles I still have to
sometimes jump; I truly do love my life
here. I so hope you will too.