Becoming and re-becoming a teacher in the Arabian Peninsula: Amal's story of hope

Abstract

This paper is an account of the early career narrative of a young Emirati teacher, Amal, against the backdrop of the radical reformation of state schooling underway in the United Arab Emirates. Amal's decision to become a teacher was influenced by negative school experiences in her own childhood, thus fuelling her desire to 'have a hand in changing things'. Although one of the very first of her compatriots to acquire an appropriate initial English language teaching qualification, within a few years of starting to teach she finds her qualification obsolete. Amal's story of becoming and re-becoming a teacher offers unique insights into the shifting sands of school reform and the challenges it poses to local teachers, and highlights the need for capacity building for a sustainable, locally grounded, quality state school system. © 2011 Teacher Development.