The herald spent a day with a teacher in the classroom to get first-hand experience of what it’s like to be an educator.
Bernice Petersen, 66, teacher at Grace Christian Academy, is known to be an autonomous, inspirational and independent woman who infuses her 47 years’ experience of teaching in a philosophical and understandable manner.
Bernice gets up at 5.45am and follows a healthy routine to prepare herself for the day ahead. Although the groups of children she teaches are smaller compared to those in larger primary schools in the area, Bernice said it makes it less stressful and allows her to give each pupil personal attention. Bullying also seldom occurs in smaller groups.
Because of Bernice’s love of children, teaching is a passion. She applies her life experiences and philosophies when she teaches. She knows a child’s attention span is shorter than an adult’s and believes no teaching session should exceed 10 minutes. It should be followed up with interactive games and play.
Teaching diverse groups of children can be very stressful as problems such as racial and political issues may occurs. A teacher needs to be strict and respected so the children can show mutual respect.
Despite the tough economy and the salary of a teacher, the children and their eagerness to learn make her job worthwhile. She added teachers always should be open to expand their knowledge and be the teacher everyone’s looking for.
