Meet Emma Wheatley - our new PYP Coordinator
Our new PYP Coordinator, Emma Wheatley joined the Academy remotely from the UK before the start of the new academic year and is excited to assimilatie with the Academy's community and culture. She looks forward to moving to Maputo with her family.
What made you want to become a teacher?
For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a teacher. I love seeing the excitement, passion and creativity of young minds as they learn all about the world around them.
Would like to share a little bit about your teaching journey that brought you here?
My teaching journey began in the UK and has since taken me to South Korea, Albania, India, Malaysia and Kuwait. I love being able to meet new people, learn new languages and understand new cultures and communities as we have travelled. A part of each of these places has stayed with us, and I am so excited to see how we learn and grow in Maputo.
What made you want to join the Academies?
I love the vision, the ethos and the strong sense of community that surrounds the Aga Khan Academies. As a passionate IB educator, it was important for our family that we found a school that shared that. Once we began talking to people at the Academy it became clear that they were united in their goal to deliver high quality education to develop children who will become future leaders. The love that they have for the school, the children and the community shone through and inspired us so much.
COVID 19 has been a game changer in the world of education. What kind of challenges have you faced during lockdown/online teaching?
Covid19 has caused a lot of turbulence for our family. Sadly, as the pandemic hit Kuwait, where we were living last academic year, it was necessary for the country to go into complete lockdown (a 24 hour curfew, everything shut down, etc.). The British Embassy helped to organise emergency flights out of Kuwait and back to London. This was an incredibly tough decision to leave, but we have two young children and felt it was the right decision at the time. We went into quarantine in the UK and have since been staying with family.
From March (when we were evacuated) to June we continued to work and study online and whilst it certainly takes some adaptation, this experience helped us all grow and learn. I look forward to sharing that experience with the team here in Maputo, even as we hope for a safe return to campus.
The AK strands are unique to the Academies. Which one speaks the most to you and why?
I really like the focus of the strands, and they offer a great lens through which to study, discuss and access the world. The concept of pluralism is one that really speaks to me, owing largely to our time living in India. This is an important part of an IB education too; valuing and respect opinions, ideas and theories different to our own and seeking to share the wisdom and experience we each bring with us.
We are extremely excited to have you on board as our new PYP Coordinator. What message would you like to share with your new students?
Hi everyone, Bom dia a todos! I am so excited to get to come and work with you all. I have heard so many wonderful things about the students at the AKA Maputo from your teachers and principals and I cannot wait to come and share our learning together.
What is your goal in your new role?
My goal as PYP Coordinator is to support and strengthen the great teaching and learning at the Academy. I am very fortunate to get to work with children, teachers and leaders across the school and find ways we can all grow and learn together.
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