Training Effective Afghan Teachers

Dear Friends,

I’m sure we all remember that one teacher who made an impact on us in school. Maybe they were so knowledgeable that you couldn’t help but respect them. Or perhaps their class made learning fun, instead of a chore. Maybe they were the teacher that never stopped until they had exhausted every option for reaching out to their students. The Afghan Institute of Learning (AIL) feels that every student deserves to be taught by great teachers, and that’s why teacher training is really at the core of our work.

To help improve the quality of teaching in Afghanistan, AIL offers a variety of workshops to teachers, structured to meet the unique needs of each group. In November of 2014, the AIL staff traveled to a remote location to train the teachers in a very poor area. The group of teachers included both men and women, and when the workshop began, the female teachers were very unsure of themselves, afraid to share their thoughts in front of the men. The AIL staff continued the workshop, encouraging the women, and by the end the women had gained the courage necessary to share their thoughts and opinions with the entire group. The female teachers reported feeling brave and full of confidence at the completion of the workshop, which was a great victory for all.

 Many of the teachers involved in the November workshop were unaware of any teaching methods, other than rote memorization. Our staff was so pleased to bring new teaching techniques to these teachers, and to empower them to use the new techniques in their classrooms. At the end of the workshop, participants remarked that they were excited to try the new techniques in their classrooms. Many said that the workshop had shown them that the way they had been teaching was not very professional, but that they now understood what was expected of them and the best ways to reach out to their students. They asked our staff to please find a way to come to the area again and to continue helping them to be the best teachers possible.

In 2014, you helped AIL to offer training to nearly 1,200 teachers in Afghanistan and the refugee camps of Pakistan! Thank you for seeing the value in educating Afghan teachers, and for supporting AIL’s work.