Featured Teacher
was employed as a Year 3 teacher at
Blessed Sacrament Primary school,
where he spent two fantastic years
before moving to Dubai in 2014.
Stephen is now a teacher at Ranches
Primary School, Dubai (RPS) and
he shares with Teach Middle East
Magazine what makes him tick as an
educator.
What do you enjoy most
about being an educator?
I love making lessons really
enjoyable and exciting. Going that
extra mile to get that WOW reaction
from the children. I believe that one
of the greatest things about primary
school teaching is the ability to be
creative with the curriculum. At
RPS we love to immerse ourselves
in learning and to bring lessons to
life. From reenacting the World War
Blitz to Pearl Diving in the swimming
pool. Making education fun and
meaningful is what I love the most
about my job.
What are three challenges
you face in your role as an
educator and how do you
overcome them?
The teacher to do list. The reality
is, the teacher to do list is ever
growing and it can be difficult to go
home with some items incomplete.
For me, the key is to prioritise, be
realistic with your tasks and allocate
your time wisely.
Work life balance. It is easy to
comprehend but can be challenging
to implement. At the end of the
school day, it may seem like the right
idea to work on into the late evening,
mark those books and plan those
lessons, however sometimes you just
need to do something for you. I think
that when you allocate sufficient
time to your job and to your personal
life you will be happier overall.
Technology. Getting the balance
right. Despite being a massive
advocate of using technology to
support children’s learning, I am
also very cautious with it. I think
that overuse of technology can be
harmful to a child’s sensory and
neurological development. Getting
the balance right is a challenge not
just for our pupils but even for us
as adults. This is an area I hope to
research further in the near future.
What are your two
favourite EdTech tools and
why?
Seesaw is my favorite app. It is
versatile and easy to use for teachers,
pupils and parents. At RPS, it is used
as a pupil journal to store work, as a
flipped learning tool, as a platform
for digital feedback, as a means for
children to vlog about their school
experiences and much, much more.
It really is a fantastic app.
I also love Book Creator for its
ease of use. It allows children to be
creative, using different forms of
media. Children can use text, audio,
images, and video to make their own
eBooks. It can also be used to create
posters, sets of instructions, science
plans or investigations and so much
more. It is also a powerful tool to
help those children who need extra
support in reading.
How do you help fellow
educators to share good
practice with each other?
I have always enjoyed a wander
around school visiting other classes
and talking to teachers from different
year groups. I think it is a subtle but
effective way to gain insight into
the professional practices of other
teachers and a great way to share
ideas.
Twitter is also a very powerful tool
for showcasing modern teaching
practices.
I often use it to read educational
research
and
access
lesson
resources. It is a
refreshing and
reenergizing form of free CPD.
What do you do for fun or
to unwind after a long day
at school?
I like to keep fit. I am interested in
all types of sports and there are lots
of opportunities to experience new
sports in Dubai. it is a great way to
meet people. I have also recently
adopted a Labrador puppy so
spending time with him has been
very entertaining.
What is the one thing
about you that would
surprise your colleagues?
I am extremely competitive. I think
my colleagues see me as being a
very calm and relaxed person who
encourages children to win with
grace and to lose with pride. But I
hate losing.
What is the best
professional advice that
you have received and how
has this helped you?
The importance of self-reflection
and work life balance. I have learnt
how important it is to be reflective
when things are going well and
when things are not. Being reflective
has encouraged me to be more
productive and to manage my time
better. It has also helped me to
identify when I need to take a break
and unwind. By doing this, I believe
I can be more productive in school
and disconnect more easily in my
down time.
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