Before we enter the 2019 – 2020 academic term, we would like to spotlight a few staff from AKA Mombasa who are going on to pursue new adventures in the upcoming academic year. Here, we take a look at Harriet Chadwick, who worked in the Humanities department, and her time at the Academy.

Harriet Chadwick is from Wakefield in West Yorkshire, England and has worked at the Aga Khan Academy Mombasa for three years as a Global Politics, Integrated Humanities and Theory of Knowledge teacher. 

During her time at the Academy, Harriet said she has had a positive experience in her professional and personal life. 

“I have learnt a lot about my subject, the IB Diploma Programme and the Middle Years Programme,” Harriet said. “I have enjoyed living in Mombasa and learning more about the local history and culture. I have also enjoyed some of the supportive relationships I have had with colleagues and support staff.”

As she will move on to new opportunities, Harriet said she will miss many things about the Academy and Mombasa in general.

“I will miss the best students who I have ever worked with; they are kind, hardworking and charming,” Harriet said. “I have thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the African continent through the curriculum I have taught and developed in both DP and MYP. I will miss the beautiful, tropical sites of Mombasa, such as the palm trees and beaches, minus the sweaty weather.”

As a teacher at the Academy, Harriet said she was able to help students appreciate Humanities with different learning resources. 

“In year 7 I have embedded more creative and interactive learning approaches into the curriculum and contributed new resources,” Harriet said. “I have upheld and improved the popularity of Global Politics across the Academy and supported students to achieve their potential in their assessments. Some of the new approaches I have embedded in my DP teaching are to encourage continuous self-reflection, openness and communication from students about problems they are facing, as I believe mentorship is a key ingredient of good teaching, and the importance of collaboration, as opposed to competition, as a way to succeed.”

Although Harriet was teaching the students on how to succeed in Humanities, she said the Academy was also teaching her on how to succeed and become a better teacher. 

“The Academy has taught me how to have more confidence in myself as an educator, that teaching involves multiple roles that I have learnt to balance and how to deliver concept-based, rather than content-based learning,” Harriet said. “Moving to another IB school, I will also feel more equipped to deliver the IB programme and I am very grateful to the Academy for providing me with this opportunity to grow.”

Harriet said she will begin a new teaching position that will help her plan her future better. However, she will be dearly missed by her colleagues, according to Susan Abuto, the head of department for the Humanities department.

“Harriet is one of the most passionate teachers I have ever interacted with in all of my teaching life,” Susan said. “She has a strong commitment towards the students and the lessons she has to deliver. She takes a lot of time and consideration into the quality of work she produces, whether it is a write-up, an assessment, a lesson plan or even departmental duties. She works very well with minimal supervision. While observing her lessons, you can see the student engagement and enthusiasm in the lessons. She motivates students to strive for the best they can achieve. To her students she is a darling. She cares about their welfare - feelings, engagement, performance, association, among other things. We will miss this commitment in the department and I know her students will miss her too.”

Tanish Panjwani is an alumnus of the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad's Class of 2019 and is determined to follow a path he will carve independently, “off the beaten track.” He attributes this fierce individuality to the opportunities he has been presented with in school.

"The Academy has pushed me to boundaries and spaces which I never imagined being in,” he expressed. “It has taught me many important life lessons which I wish to take with me as I move towards university. One of these is to always try something new. It gave me so many opportunities to explore my passions for which I am eternally thankful."

Tanish was one of the three student organisers of Academy in Hyderabad’s pioneering TEDx conference, which took place in May 2018.

“TEDxYouth@AKAHyderabad began as a revolution of ideas that inspired me to dream big and accomplish more. I wanted the students in the Academy to dream and imagine with the same ferocity, and come up with ideas that not only solve global problems but also inspire. This was my motivation behind organising such a conference here.”

Additionally, he held key leadership positions in the Academy’s Model UN conferences, played in the Senior School football team and was a chief editor of the student newsletter. 

However Tanish’s passion lies in the realm of physics, believing in the power of scientific solutions to address current global issues.

“A better understanding of our surroundings helps us gain a better understanding of ourselves," he said. "The biggest breakthroughs have come from principles based on physics – smartphones and normal appliances are built on the foundations of quantum tunneling. Not understanding physics hinders us from truly understanding the world around us.” 

For his Grade 10 personal project, Tanish focused on the importance of a future free of climate change and pollution. He used an old television to make a cathode ray tube (CRT) that disintegrated plastic and created something new in its place. He draws inspiration from his physics teacher Sudipta Roy.

“He teaches with such great passion and his zestful energy lights up my mood inspiring me to study even the most boring (and difficult) topics.” 

Tanish was accepted into University College London and the University of Glasgow to study pure physics, and intends to make connections in the fields that interest him. He wants to get involved in actively educating people about the possibilities of approaching everyday problems through the lens of science, by utilising concepts learnt within classrooms to bring small changes in their immediate environments, leading to big changes in a bigger context.

Contributed by Saheb Lakhani (Class of 2014).

Laboni Banerjee recently celebrated her 10-year anniversary with the Aga Khan Academy Hyderabad as a Grade 3 teacher. Throughout her time, Laboni has seen the Academy grow in size through the number of programmes, students and staff, making the Academy a second home for her she is grateful to be a part of. 

Laboni was immediately attracted to AKA Hyderabad because of the vision and mission of His Highness the Aga Khan for the Aga Khan Academies. She found the values of the Academy to be more aligned with her own ethos than the school she was previously working at before joining the Academy. 

“Over the course of 10 years at the Academy, I have found myself a part of a vibrant and caring community,” Laboni said. 

When joining the Academy in 2010, Laboni recalls it being a much smaller school then, especially the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP). There were only seven PYP teachers and the Junior School principal at the time, Diana Smith who started the PYP at the Academy, along with Sreelatha Kumar, who was the PYP coordinator at the time and is now the Junior School principal. AKA Hyderabad received the Diploma Programme and Middle Years Programme authorisation in 2012 and 2013, respectively. The latter year is when Laboni remembers seeing notable growth in both students and faculty at the Academy.  

“Early years in the PYP were busy,” Laboni said. “During this time, I was also focusing on identifying myself as a member of the PYP team and growing with the school. 

Over the course of her time at AKA Hyderabad, Laboni has taken on various roles. Along with being a Grade 3 teacher, Laboni took a role in the PYP reading and writing assessment in which she collected evidence and data. Laboni also helped with the Admissions Department and was responsible for checking the vocabulary of students applying to the Academy. Reflecting back, Laboni said she greatly appreciated this role because it allowed her to build a special relationship with parents and students from the very beginning of their Academy journey. 

“While working with the Admissions Department I valued meeting a large number of people who were enthusiastic and eager to learn more about the PYP in the early years.”  

From 2012–2014 Laboni helped with AKA Hyderabad’s Outreach Teacher Training programme, which is a core part of Academies’ Professional Development Centre (PDC) that trains local teachers around the community in various subject areas and enhances their pedagogical skills.  

A few years ago, Laboni also had the opportunity to travel to the Aga Khan Academy in Mombasa, Kenya where she truly began to appreciate the pluralistic approach to education and diverse cultures and backgrounds the Academies values and emphasises. During her time in Mombasa, Laboni met Titus Mutemi, who was a recent graduate of the Teacher Preparation Programme – a programme provided by the Academies that trains teachers to become IB educators in their communities – and is now the PYP coordinator at AKA Mombasa. Laboni recalls Titus being filled with great enthusiasm and eagerness as he wanted to know everything about her class including the assessment techniques, books she has students read, any material created for the class and much more.  

“Partnering with Laboni was such an enriching experience,” Titus said. “Her flexibility and open-mindedness made our collaboration easier and enjoyable. Years have gone by and yet her enthusiasm and unique way of engaging with the young learners is still memorable.” 

When AKA Hyderabad transitioned to online learning in March 2020 due to COVID-19, Laboni said there were a few challenges she faced but was able to overcome due to the support she received from the Academy.  

“In the PYP we have always used technology as a learning and teaching tool. However, when we shifted to complete online teaching, building the bridge with new students I had never met before was the biggest challenge. With physical teaching, I was able to bond with my students on a personal level, but this changed with distance learning. 

However, the Academy always supported me and made me feel comfortable working on a virtual platform with a new group of learners. Assigning me to be a part of various online professional development sessions was immense support as it helped me develop my understanding of the application of various teaching tools. The virtual learning and teaching also enabled me to look at my own teaching philosophy through a different lens and reimagine my teaching strategies. Now, it is my greatest joy and top priority to see my students online and have personal conversations with them.” 

Laboni said she cannot imagine her future without the Academy being a part of it. She is always involving herself in different roles throughout the Academy in order to connect with more students beyond the PYP and see how they turn their passions into reality. Laboni also said she is fortunate to be a part of a community that is continuously supportive and where she is encouraged to grow each day as an educator and individual.  

“The greatest part about delivering education at the Academy and being a part of its community is that every day is a learning experience for me. I am always excited to see my students become open-minded young adults, chasing their greatest passions in life and thinking about how to make the world a better place for all.”