Thursday, 28th March 2024

Thursday, 28th March 2024

Back to School, as an Education Associate

27 Jan 2009

Mdm Farahana, Si Ling Secondary

As an Education Associate, Ms Farahana co-teaches classes in art and digital design.

She’s got a passion for art and design, a Diploma in Digital Media and work experience in web design, animation and multimedia software. But she’s not a teacher, so what is Ms Farahana Abdul Rahim doing in a computer lab, surrounded by eager Sec 1 students jabbering about graphic editing and digital art?

Here’s a new word to try on for size: Education Associate (EDA). These are school staff with other expertise who work with teachers in co-teaching and pastoral support. In Ms Farahana’s case, she works with teachers at Si Ling Secondary School to plan and conduct lessons for lower secondary Normal (Technical) students. She also develops coursework for the “O” and “N” level curricula, and is the co-form teacher for an N(T) class, taking on pastoral care and liaising regularly with her students’ parents.

Training for the classroom

When the EDA programme was announced just over a year ago, Ms Farahana decided to explore this opportunity for mid-career professionals to dive into the world of teaching. “I’m always up for a challenge and I believe that it will bring out the good in me,” she says gamely.

To prepare for life in school anew, Ms Farahana underwent a four-week course for a Specialist Certificate in Teaching and Learning at the National Institute of Education. “The training prepared me well for my role as an EDA and to communicate more effectively, understand the importance of building rapport and motivate the students,” she recounts.

Mdm Farahana, Si Ling Secondary

Apart from co-teaching, Ms Farahana is also a co-form teacher and provides pastoral care to her students.

With mixed feelings of happiness and trepidation, Ms Farahana began her life as an EDA at Si Ling Secondary. She recalls worrying about how to deal with difficult students, work well with colleagues and make a positive contribution to the school. But positive feedback from teachers, Heads of Department and the principal “assured me that I was on the right track,” she says. “Most of the teachers I’ve worked with appreciate the extra helping hand.”

As she settled into her task of assisting teachers in Art and Computer Application lessons, Ms Farahana found that her earlier skills and work experience often came in handy. “I add out-of-the-syllabus and innovative perspectives to help engage the students,” she notes. “Having worked in design agencies and a tertiary instituttion, I am able to give students a ‘reality check’ and share what is expected in working life.”

“I work very closely with the teachers to plan every lesson in advance and find ways to make the lessons more interesting,” she adds. “During the classes, I assist the teachers in maintaining discipline, providing prompts to trigger off ideas and helping students who encounter difficulties in their work.”

A career with class

Ms Farahana also tries to inject a dose of creativity or novelty into her lessons. For instance, in a lesson on Corel Draw, a graphics software, she sparked her students’ interest by getting them to design cartoons and comic characters instead of just drawing simple shapes.

Mdm Farahana, Si Ling Secondary

Teachers such as Mr Zaki Zulsakal Noordin greatly value Ms Farahana’s contributions as an Education Associate.

She has also inspired her students to submit their artworks in competitions, such as an international children’s art contest in Poland and local inter-school art competitions. Whatever the outcome, Ms Farahana sees that the very act of taking part has helped her students gain self-confidence and appreciate their potential.

In turn, she is learning about the challenges of a career in education. “Although the students here are not very academically inclined, they possess a different kind of intelligence,” she remarks. “They require guidance one step at a time but once they have mastered a skill or technique, they can explore what they are capable of.”

The advice of a fellow teacher, Mr Mustafa, rings often in Mr Farahana’s mind. “He said, ‘You must learn to handle these kids like you would a kite. Know the direction of the wind and control the tension of the string. If it’s too tight it may snap. If it’s too loose, it will not soar up high. But when you know when to pull and when to let go, your kite will fly high.'”

In 2009, Ms Farahana is piling more on her plate, with plans for a new Claymation elective module, lessons in Photoshop as well as Art workshops for the N7 Cluster. Her own creative development has not been neglected – her own art works were displayed at an exhibition at Singapore Polytechnic in December 2008.

It’s been no easy switch, but Ms Farahana is convinced that her decision to heed the call of the classroom has been a right one. “It’s a rewarding career, seeing the students progress, learn and create with me,” she says. “I’m so inspired by them when I see their creativity going beyond my own ideas.”