Invaluable Teaching Experiences for Education Students in the Maldives

COUNTRY: Maldives
PROGRAM: UniBreak
PROJECT: Teaching & Swimming Coaching
WRITTEN BY: Kaitlin Foster, University of Sydney, Education

This past week has sped by and it feels like only yesterday that we had our first visit to our local schools. The week has seen us continuing our swimming lessons and starting both the netball clinics and an ‘Australian School Holiday Program’ for the students of Hithadhoo and Sharafuddin schools.

The Maldivian school holidays began this week and provided an incredible opportunity for the group to teach lessons to the local students that reflected the Australian curriculum. On the first day we had over eighty students in attendance! The program also provides us with valuable classroom experience, allowing us to establish a unit of work on any relevant topic for us to teach during the week. The students immensely enjoyed the first day, and in particular Ruby and Sam’s drama lessons.

As four members of our group are studying Bachelors of Education (Human Movement), some of the local high schools have been eager to utilise the girls’ knowledge for the training of their Cadets. This week, the girls have worked tirelessly to present two seminars based on nutrition and first aid. The girls drew a crowd that was much bigger than anticipated, and worked well as a team in engaging the large number of students.

In the Maldives, the schools take pride in not only producing well-educated students but also in the appearance of their school. It is not uncommon for classrooms to be painted with murals depicting key focuses for the year, or inspiring messages for the students that reflect a schools key values. When the opportunity arose for our group to assist a school in need by painting the Maldivian key values we jumped at the opportunity. In just one day Melinda, Jessica, Kate and Helena produced beautiful pillars that will stand as a daily reminder for the students of their educational goals.

A one-night stay at the Equator Resort blissfully tipped off our busy week. A buffet breakfast and a lay by the pool have the group feeling refreshed and ready to conquer the week ahead.