Life is beautiful ​

One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.  Two teachers of Bahrain School are bidding adieu to Bahrain after their meritorious service in the Kingdom. They shared their thoughts with DT News. Here are the excerpts from the interview.        

1. What were your greatest concerns when you began teaching? 

I always wondered how teachers can make the students understand things.  

I used to think it must be so hard to teach and make people understand things.

2.  Did those turn out to be justified concerns or just the typical nerves of a new teacher? 

No, once I started working with students, it came naturally.  I look at something and strive to find a creative way to teach it in a way that will reach all students.  I use diagrams and picture a lot.  Graphic organizers are a wonderful too, and I redesign them all the time to fit the topic being taught.

3.  Is there something about teaching that you never did figure out? Still wonder/worry about?

I wonder about some of the parents who do not take the time for their children.  

I wonder how some parents do not know what their children are doing.  Your children are the most important part of your life.  I see my own two children as blessings and they are my purpose in life.

4.  What did you enjoy about teaching? 

I enjoy being with the students.

5.  Do you still feel like you want to teach? 

Yes, and I will teach in Germany next.  

6.  What made you be a teacher in the first place? 

My parents were teachers.  I saw how full their lives always were.

7.  Did you want to retire? 

No, I have at least 10 more years to teach.  If I retire, I will teach in a different way.  Maybe I will teach at a community center or tutor.  My mother is a retired high school librarian.  She set up and runs a library at her church now.  My uncle is a retired NASA engineer.  He tutors college students in Math and Physics.  It is important to always keep your mind strong and active in all stages of life.

8.  What did you like most about teaching?

What I love most if being with the students.

 9.  Who is an excellent teacher? 

Teachers are excellent teachers.  Clerics are excellent teachers.  Parents are excellent teachers.  Children are excellent teachers.  Everyone I meet has something to teach me.

10. Tell us about the troubling student you have taught and how you help him or her.

I have had several troubling students over the years.  The best way to deal with them is with patience and tough love.  Be honest and tell them what is wrong.  It is usually difficult at the beginning, but usually they progress and realize you are just helping them.  In the end, a trouble student will think of those who have helped.

11. Say something about life in Bahrain.

This is my fourth year in Bahrain and I have enjoyed the kingdom and I have explored every part of it.  The Bahraini people are beautiful and kind.  The parents of my students have always treated me with complete respect.  My students are wonderful, caring, and hard working.  My children and I have learned a lot from living in Bahrain.   My son is a graduate of BHS, and I am very proud of that fact.

Mrs. Donna Rien-Kemp

Spanish & Social Studies