'My Journey from a School Teacher to a Teacher Educator', Soma Shrestha, Teacher Educator, Nepal
I began my journey with the British Council in 2017 while teaching at a school in Nepal. I took on the International School Award (ISA) Coordinator role, where I successfully introduced various projects that familiarised me with national and international curricula. This experience boosted my confidence in working with students of diverse abilities and helped me build connections with partners in Nepal and internationally
My dedication and success in this role led to my selection as a British Council School Ambassador (BCSA). In this position, I facilitated and supported several online and in-person workshops under the Connecting Classrooms programme. These opportunities allowed me to stay informed and adopt innovative teaching methods, further developing my professional skills.
Over time, I had the opportunity to attend a Training of Trainers (ToT) programme to become a teacher trainer and have shadowing experience with expert teacher educators from the British Council. This ToT enabled me to effectively demonstrate various teaching techniques and approaches in teacher training sessions. The new knowledge, skills, and awareness I gained gave me confidence in my transition from teacher to teacher educator. I then expanded my work with the British Council as a Teacher Educator, focusing on the continuous professional development of teachers in pedagogy and English proficiency while embedding core skills into teaching and learning. During this period, I attended several webinars and demonstrated my experience and skills in workshops and seminars, which broadened my perspective as a teacher educator.
One of the most recent opportunities provided by the British Council was a Training of Trainers (ToT) for English for Teaching (EFT) in Kathmandu in July 2024. This training was facilitated by a senior academic manager from the British Council, South Asia. It enhanced my knowledge of English teaching techniques and provided me with practical tools to apply in classrooms. After completing the ToT, I facilitated an EFT training session for English teachers in Gurbhakot Municipality in August 2024. Initially, the participants were unfamiliar with the training concepts, but my commitment and engaging approach quickly won them over. The teachers were actively involved and eager to improve their English skills by the second day. By applying the skills and learnings from the ToT, along with my experience, I made the sessions impactful, and the participants appreciated the interactive and engaging nature of the training.
This experience strengthened my abilities as an educator and deepened my commitment to improving English language teaching in Nepal. I am grateful to the British Council for providing me with opportunities to grow, learn, and contribute to the professional development of teachers across diverse regions of Nepal. This transitional journey from teacher to teacher educator has been amazing. I will continue to explore more opportunities with the British Council and beyond to learn, grow, and inspire others in education.