“A TEACHER takes a hand, opens a mind, and touches a heart” — Unknown.
Teachers spend the most time with a child, as compared with parent’s time with that child.
Children go to school to enhance their knowledge in the education world. For some it is a chance to meet up with their friends while for others it can be a place of refuge.
Many children go through personal problems, some disputes, others some form of abuse and the school has been their place of comfort.
That is why teachers play a vital role in the life of a student, because eight hours together in school, teachers should be able to gain the trust of their students thus they should be able to share things openly.
However, for some other students they prefer to bottle things or just share with their friends.
For Joseva Bola Kalounivalu, teaching is not just about the money, it’s a calling.
Mr Kalounivalu has been teaching for the past 13 years, and for him it’s not only about teaching the students what is required by the Ministry of Education.
“Most students come to school with their own individual problems at home or with their friends, therefore, it is best that we teachers learn to understand them and help find solutions to their problems,” he said.
“It’s a vocation, and we teachers need to learn outside the box in tending to our students, for me personally it’s not about the money, this is my calling.”
The 34-year-old Vadravadra, Gau native is a teacher at St Joan of Arc Primary School in Sigatoka.
“Here in school we have counselling for our students, if they need someone to talk and help them, and I must say this has helped the students a lot.”
Mr Kalounivalu was educated at the same primary school that he has been teaching in for the past seven years. He completed his secondary school at Sigatoka Methodist College before going on to the Corpus Christi Teachers College.
His first posting was at the Marist Convent School in Levuka where he spent six years before being transferred to the Sigatoka-based school.
