Every Teacher Has a Success Story

By Cynthia James 
(Participant at the 2013 ELTDP Symposium)

Going from one session to another, I noticed another thing that the participants of this symposium had in common. Except for officials from the MoE, JPN, GBs and LOs, all teachers who came to this symposium were presenters. Almost everyone was nervous before his / her presentation. I couldn't eat breakfast the morning of my presentation. The sight and smell of the five-star hotel food made me nauseous. Someone told me that she saw a teacher hiding in the ladies, all nerves, struggling to breathe, comforted by her mentor. It wasn't easy for most of the presenters. Almost everyone struggled with the nervousness and the fear of speaking in front of people.

Yet, there was no single session that I attended where I failed to be inspired by the teachers. They may be nervous, but they knew what they were talking about. Despite the nervousness, I noticed the glitter in their eyes as they confidently presented their successes. One teacher even broke down in tears in the middle of her presentation, as she related how she successfully overcome the hurdles and obstacles in her classroom. To me, it showed the extent of the passion and emotion that she had put into her research and presentation. These teachers are great, passionate teachers. It was a great blessing to be able to participate in their presentations and listened to their stories.

I was sitting at the lobby and chatting with my Language Officer in the evening when she said: "Every teacher has successes. Yet at most times nobody knows about it; nobody wants to know, nobody cares. A symposium like this is a great opportunity for teachers to get their stories out, to share their successes with others."

In this 'Teacher as Researcher' symposium, the teachers presented their researches. But they were also doing more than that. They were sharing their success stories - that perhaps before this, nobody knows and nobody wants to know. Now a lot of people know about the stories, and I'm sure it's a great feeling for them.

It is indeed a great feeling. Believe me, I know.

To read about more of Cynthia's experiences from the 2013 Symposium, please visit her blog: Beyond Chalk & Talk