Agisa is nearing her 10 year anniversary at GESS and yet has not lost one ounce of the vigour she brought to the GESS pre-school on day one! Her love for early childhood education has only grown and she conducts her classroom affairs with unmistakable creativity and eagerness to inspire young minds. Find out more about Pre-School educator Agisa:
Hi Agisa, tell us more about yourself and your story!
I am originally from the Maldives, but I have been living in Singapore for about 20 years now. Having studied teaching in Germany, I started my journey as an educator in the Maldives, teaching older kids. Afterwards, I tapped into my interest in marketing and branding as I wanted a change in career. I spent about 6 years working for the Maldives Tourism Promotion Board and then came to Singapore, where I continued to work in the marketing industry for companies such as MTV.
After I got married and had my daughter, I became fascinated with early childhood development, so I decided to pursue this new career path. I first obtained a diploma in early childhood education at Modern Montessori International. Afterwards, I continued my studies in the UK, where I became an IB certified educator and received a Master in International Education degree.
What brought you to GESS?
I have been with GESS since 2012, and I’m a teacher and EdTech (Educational Technology) coach for the pre-school here at GESS. Initially, I was looking at international schools in Singapore for my daughter to enrol in. After visiting GESS, I said to my husband that it was the right school. It just felt good. There was a distinct community feel to the school. I also loved how GESS employed play-based learning — there were many hands-on activities that the students got to participate in. I just felt that this was the right place for my daughter. So, my daughter came to GESS before I did.
After I did my studies, I was also looking around other schools to teach at and once again GESS just had a good feel. I just felt well here. To elaborate more, I find the diversity in the school very welcoming and interesting. It invites inter-cultural understanding. The faculty itself is very diverse as well and they made me feel very welcome because they were so open and supportive. That’s why I chose GESS.
What are some of your favourite memories from your time as an educator at GESS?
There is one particular memory that really stands out to me. We were doing a unit on how our actions impact the environment, with a focus on the negative impact of rubbish. On a walk with the children, they noticed that some monkeys were eating from the bin. In particular, a little girl was very upset about it. She was worried that the monkeys would get sick from eating the rubbish.
From here, a big design thinking project was started.
We started looking at how the monkey could take the rubbish out. The kids discovered that there was a hole in the bin, which was why the monkeys were able to take out the rubbish. They designed a new bin where you could throw the rubbish in, but the monkeys would not be able to take the rubbish out. And then they sent a letter to the NEA (National Environment Agency) with the design and proposed a change in the design of the bins so that the animals would not get hurt.
The learning was integrated and powerful — they had to measure the dimensions for their bin, and they had to write the letter. The best part of it all was that it was student initiated and situated in the real world. They felt empowered, they felt like they could do something.
That story is incredible. Are there any other memories you would like to share?
One other memory that stands out for me is a very special project we did with the children called “The Purple Planet”. It was inspired by the story of The Little Prince. We were doing a unit called How We Express Ourselves and we were reading The Little Prince as a text. The children took the story forward, they asked: “what happens after the little prince leaves earth?” They decided that the little prince goes to another planet called “The Purple Planet”. And they created their own planet.
This planet had everything good from earth like trees and animals but minus all the things they didn’t like such as pollution and animal cruelty. It was a project that had a lot of learning from different subject areas. We did a really big design thinking project. We worked together with the grade three students from Primary School. They made space crafts to go to this planet, so it was really a very beautiful project that had so many interesting elements. The children were so happy to come to school every day for their project. This is something I will always remember.
What is it about teaching that you love?
I think it is one of the most rewarding careers. Especially teaching little kids. You cannot have a bad day at school because they are just so lovely. The kids have so much warmth and love that you just forget about your problems when you are in the classroom with them. Other than that, I love developing relationships with the children. They have such a wonderful way of thinking and looking at the world. I think you will always stay young when you are working in a pre-school classroom. Also, I get to see children understanding big concepts at such a young age; it is really amazing and highly rewarding.
