by Adama Kone, Teacher Project Coordinator
Mr. Amadou Doro writes on the chalkboard during our final Teacher Training of the 22/23 school year.
This month, we wrapped up our Intensive Teacher Trainings for the school year. These sessions allow us to provide about half of our teachers with two, tailor-made trainings over the year, along with 3 Teacher Peer Meetings. At our last meeting, I spoke with Amadou Doro, a math teacher, about the biggest new ideas he took away from his time in our Intensive Teacher Trainings. Here’s what he had to say:
“I am Amadou Doro from Lareen Mellor Middle School. I have been teaching here for about five years. I am a Math teacher and like to help kids learn and change their lives. I love to come to school on time and discuss my ways of teaching with my co-workers because I think I can always learn from them as well. One of my favorite things in my school is those discussions I have with my colleagues because I find them very openhearted and useful.
I face many challenges teaching students my subject even though I try many strategies to overcome them. Some of the challenges are how to manage my crowded classroom – more than 100 kids in each grade! -- by keeping everyone focused while I am teaching. Sometimes, when I am explaining some students play with pens, some draw stupid things on papers, or some would be whispering among themselves. I have more than one hundred students in my one classroom. This classroom size drives me crazy most of the time!
Despite all these issues, I still think my job is very noble and I like it since it will help my country develop by giving children better future. I also have some very happy times while teaching my students. I feel proud to be a math teacher when I see my students volunteering to write or draw on the chalkboard and when some of them willingly come to me and explain their concerns to me about my subject. Another happy time is when a student corrects another one – this shows me the student really understands the lesson!
Today I am attending my second teacher training offered by Mali Rising Foundation. I feel so grateful for these trainings! Over this teacher training, I feel like I was given several great secrets to improve my teaching strategies or techniques. I am one hundred percent sure that it will help me serve my students better.
One of the secret things will be the easiest and the quickest strategy for making a lesson more active for students in classroom. I was incredibly surprised by the answer from experts because I thought it was making students discuss among themselves, which is so hard to do with 100 or more students in my class. But the answer was actually easier than that – it was simply asking my students questions. I realized that asking my students questions can definitely make my classes more active and interesting for students.
To me, this teacher training has been a revelation of a secret that will help me make a difference in my work. In addition to all that, I feel blessed to participate in this teacher training and I remain incredibly grateful to Mali Rising Foundation for inviting me to this wonderful training.
I was given a secret that will surely serve me and serve my students!”
