This is Fleurima’s second year working in the school. Last year, he taught fourth grade,so this is his second year teaching these same students in fifth grade.
Q: What gives you the most joy in your classroom?
Fleurima: It gives me joy when I realize that the kids are understanding what I am teaching in the classroom. Also, it gives me joy when I discover the capacities that they have.
Q: What is the greatest difficulty you confront?
Fleurima: The greatest difficulty I confront is students who have an especially hard time grasping the concepts I am teaching them.
Q: In your opinion, what importance does a teacher have within society?
Fleurima: A teacher is someone doing his/her part to bring an eventual change to society, so teachers have a lot of importance.
Q: If you could describe your current class of children with one word, what word would you choose?
Fleurima: I would choose “Shining”–shining for a different Haiti.
Q: In the future, what do you hope the kids who are in your class today can offer their country that the previous generation was not able to offer?
Fleurima: I hope that my students will do their part by recognizing that they are the future of Haiti. In the community where they live, they shouldn’t be looking to just one person or to a foreigner to come and bring change. Change should come from their own initiative and from working together.
Q: What are you teaching your students that can help them realize this?
Fleurima: I am always trying to instill this perspective in them as I teach. One useful strategy has been making Civism a part of my curriculum. In recent years, most schools have stopped teaching civism as a subject, but I think it is very important. At the beginning of this year, I requested the school to allow me to add it to my year plan.
…I think there can be a difference between simple teaching and educating. Someone could stand in front of a class and teach math and science. But, educating also involves forming someone’s understanding of how to live.
Q: What teacher had the greatest influence on you? How?
Fleurima: In fifth grade, I had a very strict teacher–almost maybe too strict. But, he was very serious about his teaching, and kids were not able to get away with whatever they wanted in his class. I took note of the positive aspects of his character and discipline, and they had a role in influencing me.
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