Before moving to Canada I was a teacher in India for over eight years teaching Grade 5 – Grade 9. As a teacher in India, we had more than 55+ students in each class. It was challenging for a new teacher to maintain discipline in the class. However, I did overcome this problem by using some classroom management skills. We are assigned one homeroom but at the same time our timetable is framed based on our specialties. My major subjects were English and Social Studies. As a teacher, our key role duties were to teach directly from the syllabus, prepare lesson plans, maintain a logbook, and then assess the students by preparing a unit test question paper which happens every semester. Though the number of students were more but as a teacher you should know each and every kid’s strengths and weakness. Sometimes we gave extra hours just to help weak students overcome obstacles in learning or understanding a particular unit. I enjoyed teaching every grade as a teacher. I always believed that each and every child is unique and special and as an educator it is our responsibility to guide them through this learning path successfully .
Volunteered as an EAL instructor at the Regina Public Library for few months. During this time I got a chance to meet and teach some basic English language to newcomers and immigrants who came to Canada. While talking to newcomers I understood that learning basic language English was so difficult for adult learners. Exposure to a new language at this age made them hesitant to go outside and carry out their daily routine in Canada. When they learn a few sentences of English through this EAL library program, they feel confident enough to interact with other people around them or at their kid’s school. I gained many experiences talking to these newcomers and got to know the difficulties they face while integrating in to a new country. When they see someone from their own background or a newcomer like me, they gain hope that one day they will also be successful or confident in their own field. The role model has to be someone who can be looked upon. Then others follow in the footstep of the pioneer until they start charting their own course. I hope to be that beacon for all the newcomers in Regina in addition to my role as a teacher of young minds.
Starting a new journey in my profession which I have always loved. Hope my journey will be successful as an “Educator in Canada”
Naz Musings 