World Teacher Day 2021

When discussing quality education in rural Tanzania, we’re often talking about a pivot for the country’s development. Far be it from a one-size-fits-all kind of answer when determining what quality education really means in its most true and practical sense. However, there is one undeniable factor that holds high enough regard that today is celebrated as its international day of recognition. What day is that, you ask? World Teacher Day. 

In that light, we’d proudly like to join the world today in not only just celebrating our own teachers at Uru Pre and Primary, but all teachers around the world. It is especially important to us that we recognize the value each individual teacher has on a single child’s life, as it is equally as valuable (if not more) in its part of an even greater force teachers share collectively: empowering today’s global youth to endure and conquer the throes of COVID-19. 

Team Captain

Encourager 

Adviser 

Coach 

Helping Hand 

Enricher 

Role Model

Above is what Clara Daniel, Uru Community Pre and Primary School’s Head Teacher tells us her own teachers in college used to write up on the board during class for her and her fellow classmates to memorize. It wouldn't have been until later that Clara saw the meaning of this exercise take true form from within herself becoming a teacher and seeing how each role came through at various times during her career. 

“It is all about the kids. We deal with the sweat, tears, stress, headaches, and mental breakdowns because we believe we serve a purpose much larger than ourselves… We do it for the difference we make in so many children’s lives every single day. Even when they push us to our limits, we find a way to keep going.” 

Clara Daniel on what motivates her career as a teacher. 

On hard days, teachers at Uru Community Pre and Primary sometimes rely on remembering what made them become teachers in the first place in order to remain grounded and give their students their all. Ms. Jane teaches Social Studies and Civic and Moral classes at Uru Community Pre and Primary School. She tells us that every single day a child learns something new, it is the fact that she gets to be a part of that journey along with the child, that is the most meaningful. 

It is teachers like Ms. Jane, who clearly holds and exemplifies the intrinsic motivation and passion for teaching that are essential to student success. 

“I teach them to love what is going on around them in the world. The other day, I got to teach [the class] about the rights they have as individuals. Now they know something new— something as empowering and liberating as human rights— which they had no idea about before.”

Ms. Jane tells us the most empowering part of being a teacher.

In a developing country such as Tanzania (especially in a rural community like Uru), where access to educational resources is often lacking in quality and quantity, teachers are the key source of knowledge, skills, wisdom and inspiration for the students. As a consequence, teachers at Uru Community Pre and Primary School play an even stronger central role in empowering the community and are also for whom we could not do ANY of this without! 

“Teachers are essential in building an environment that promotes learning that gives the children capacity to overcome challenges in the future— the reason we are here.” 

School Manager Alex Mmbaga explains the vital role and influence the teacher’s have on his students.