<B> How did you start in your teaching job?</B>

It was more a combination of circumstances than a real decision at the beginning. When I finished my Brevet de Technicien Superieur (BTS) at the age of twenty, Loreto College Rose-Hill asked me to replace for an information technology (IT) teacher on leave for two months. This was to prolonged one year. I’ve been there for three years now.

<B> Why did you decide to stay?</B>

I had no clear idea of what I wanted to do after my BTS but I think I know now. I’m happy in my job. It is not an ordinary job and I’m not running after money. I feel I’m doing something useful and it’s gratifying to see pupils thanking you when they succeed. I’ve never wanted to be a “slave to my work”; being a teacher gives me time to enjoy life. This doesn’t mean that teachers don’t work hard. It’s very annoying to hear people make such remarks. Although working hours are not very long, teaching is a stressful job where you always have to try and excel.

<B>What are the disadvantages of being a teacher?</B>

Many teachers would say that they’re underpaid. This is not untrue actually but I suppose that everyone thinks they could earn more. What I don’t like is that teachers have to do a bit of everything. They are not only there to pass on knowledge but they have to deal with administrative papers, organise fund-raising and so on. This is not really our job. Today, teachers don’t really know exactly what their duties are.

<B> What are the general problems that a young teacher faces?</B>

Of course, at the beginning, it’s very difficult to find the happy medium between being too strict or too cool. But it comes with time. The real problem is to make students understand the real goal of school. The aim is not merely to “finish the syllabus”. Of course, there’s a curriculum and teachers must do their jobs but school is not only good marks as most of the pupils think. I teach girls from Form I to Form VI; at this age, they ask many questions on life and we’re also there to answer some of these questions.

<B> Do you think the Teachers’ day is necessary?</B>

You know, there is a day for everything nowadays, so why not for teachers? More seriously, I suppose this helps people think of teachers at least once a year. People used to respect teachers in the past but now it’s very different. Many are those who believe they have a better knowledge than teachers. But teaching is not only having knowledge. A teacher is, above all, someone who knows how to pass on his knowledge to others. We have to give the tools to our students to enable them to work by themselves.