I started teaching because I had no other choice. As young child, as a primary and secondary school student I had dreamt of becoming a doctor or a lawyer. But my dream collapsed in 1996. My exam result of 1996 was not as I had expected: I only passed for "Mulo - Eindexamen". I only got the diploma for the secondary school with minimum choices. The options were the trade school ( IMEAO ) or the seminary ( Surinaams Pedagogisch Instituut , SPI ). After a lot of consulting with a lot of people for the best advice, I went to the seminary. It also had two options for me, a 2 year study to bridge my study at the university or IOL and the second option was a 4 year study and then become a teacher at the primary school. I chose the 2 year study with in mind, that I could go to the university.
With maximum motivation I finished my 2 year study at SPI, they called it "algemeen vormende fase". This was in August 1998. In 1998 the biggest dilemma in life starts. My mother said she can't afford to take further financial responsibility for my study. I understood her because poverty was the biggest challenge to me and my family. I decide to start working, so I shifted from Saramacca, where we lived, to Paramaribo. I started working at the radio and television station in the morning hours and in the evening I started with my history course. Working at the radio and studying at IOL at the same time was not easy. I did a course of 2 years in 4 years. It was a hell of a job.
In 2002 I started with internship at a secondary school. Mr Milton Top was my instructor together with Mr Pigot and after 3 lessons they told me my lessons are good but they are very boring. I still had 3 lessons to go.I asked at the television station supervisor if I could borrow their equipment (tv, vcr etc) to use it for my lesson.I collected documentary clippings and pictures and other stuff to teach which could bring my lessons to another level and the instructors were satisfied.
In 2003 I started as teacher at Mulo Latour, a secondary school in South Paramaribo. For the first 2 years it was very tough because I got the worse classes in my entire career. But it made me stronger and better. This is my 11th year that I'm teaching history at the secondary school, but I'm still not satisfied with my performance. I believe that I can do much better than this. My students and colleagues believes that I'm a good teacher, they like the way how I present my history lessons but I'm not satisfied as teacher. I have to be better and better and finally the best.
As a history teacher I have the following goals:
1. To teach the students that they should approach the history from different points of view because Suriname is a multi-cultural society.
2. My second goal is to use teaching as a tool to help build a better future for Suriname. Suriname needs a better future.
3. I teach history because I’m convinced that every Surinamese child needs to know his/her history. And as I keep saying: you can’t see where you’re going unless you’ve seen where you come from.
When I teach I believe that
The students have to understand the subject and have to be excited about it. They have to be focused on the topic. In this case we have a big problem in Suriname, there are too many students in the classroom so it’s impossible to always keep them focused on the lesson.
I think as a teacher you have to be creative and you have to be patient, because sometimes students are tired or they do not get you that quickly as a teacher. I also think that as a teacher you have to be motivated. Without motivation there is no success. As teacher you have be motivated, driven, charged to motivate your students.
In the last 11 years, I tried to be a very open and an honest teacher.
As a teacher you have to be flexible and open. My students have to feel comfortable during the lessons. I want be a teacher using different techniques in teaching, an ict-minded teacher. I want to be a teacher with full self-confidence.I want to invest in myself to become a better teacher. A teacher that can make history from a boring subject to a pleasant subject for those who don’t like history very much.
The Satisfied teacher after 3 years ICT in Education
I actually started doubting my choice of signing up for this course in the beginning. But as the course progressed I started liking it more and more, though there were times when the self doubt came to the surface. But in due time and with support from the home base and my teammates I was able to pull through. And now that we're reaching the end I'm feeling proud that I decided to sit it out and complete this course.
Regards,
Perwin Mohan
With maximum motivation I finished my 2 year study at SPI, they called it "algemeen vormende fase". This was in August 1998. In 1998 the biggest dilemma in life starts. My mother said she can't afford to take further financial responsibility for my study. I understood her because poverty was the biggest challenge to me and my family. I decide to start working, so I shifted from Saramacca, where we lived, to Paramaribo. I started working at the radio and television station in the morning hours and in the evening I started with my history course. Working at the radio and studying at IOL at the same time was not easy. I did a course of 2 years in 4 years. It was a hell of a job.
In 2002 I started with internship at a secondary school. Mr Milton Top was my instructor together with Mr Pigot and after 3 lessons they told me my lessons are good but they are very boring. I still had 3 lessons to go.I asked at the television station supervisor if I could borrow their equipment (tv, vcr etc) to use it for my lesson.I collected documentary clippings and pictures and other stuff to teach which could bring my lessons to another level and the instructors were satisfied.
In 2003 I started as teacher at Mulo Latour, a secondary school in South Paramaribo. For the first 2 years it was very tough because I got the worse classes in my entire career. But it made me stronger and better. This is my 11th year that I'm teaching history at the secondary school, but I'm still not satisfied with my performance. I believe that I can do much better than this. My students and colleagues believes that I'm a good teacher, they like the way how I present my history lessons but I'm not satisfied as teacher. I have to be better and better and finally the best.
As a history teacher I have the following goals:
1. To teach the students that they should approach the history from different points of view because Suriname is a multi-cultural society.
2. My second goal is to use teaching as a tool to help build a better future for Suriname. Suriname needs a better future.
3. I teach history because I’m convinced that every Surinamese child needs to know his/her history. And as I keep saying: you can’t see where you’re going unless you’ve seen where you come from.
When I teach I believe that
The students have to understand the subject and have to be excited about it. They have to be focused on the topic. In this case we have a big problem in Suriname, there are too many students in the classroom so it’s impossible to always keep them focused on the lesson.
I think as a teacher you have to be creative and you have to be patient, because sometimes students are tired or they do not get you that quickly as a teacher. I also think that as a teacher you have to be motivated. Without motivation there is no success. As teacher you have be motivated, driven, charged to motivate your students.
In the last 11 years, I tried to be a very open and an honest teacher.
As a teacher you have to be flexible and open. My students have to feel comfortable during the lessons. I want be a teacher using different techniques in teaching, an ict-minded teacher. I want to be a teacher with full self-confidence.I want to invest in myself to become a better teacher. A teacher that can make history from a boring subject to a pleasant subject for those who don’t like history very much.
The Satisfied teacher after 3 years ICT in Education
I actually started doubting my choice of signing up for this course in the beginning. But as the course progressed I started liking it more and more, though there were times when the self doubt came to the surface. But in due time and with support from the home base and my teammates I was able to pull through. And now that we're reaching the end I'm feeling proud that I decided to sit it out and complete this course.
Regards,
Perwin Mohan