‘Education is freedom’: why my mother’s legacy drives me to teach

From a young age my parents taught my siblings and me that education was freedom. I was born on Fuvahmulah, an island in the Maldives with few schools and around 40 in a class. Good grades were highly valued and my parents encouraged hard work. Education brought opportunities we weren’t born with; it was the way to build a good life. My mother, Khaulath, was head of English at the school, and my father, Abdulla, who’s a well-known poet, taught Dhivehi, our local dialect, so teaching was in my DNA.

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When I was eight years old we moved to Australia where mum studied for her degree in education. I went to a school that was creative and enriching, with lots of outdoor learning. I was the only child who wasn’t white but, as a kid, I didn’t notice our differences. We moved to England when I was 13, this time for mum’s PhD. School, in inner-city Manchester, was a different environment again. My friends and I were studious and had to work hard to make it, but I got A*-B grades at GCSE and went on to A-levels and an English degree.

I think teaching is in my DNA. As a child, I would make registers and pretend to teach at home. I knew it was a good job and saw the respect that my parents earned from people on the island who, long after they’d left school, would come up to them to say how they’d inspired them. I saw my parents’ dedication and how happy the job made them.

My mother died in 2013, weeks after giving birth to my youngest sister. The day before she slipped into a coma, I was due in London for my teacher training interview. I wanted to stay at her bedside but mum told me to go. I missed her final, waking day. From then on, everything in my career has had to be worth it, it has to mean something. I help care for my younger siblings (I am one of five) and I guide them with their school work. My parents’ inspiration is everything to me.

When I took my first teaching job in 2014 I wasn’t sure I was cut out for it, but the school I teach in now has changed my life. I joined four years ago and was given a mentor. He taught me how to be a creative and inspiring teacher, and gave me confidence. I made friends and now mentor trainee teachers myself. Teaching is not just about the children, it’s the mark you can make on colleagues and the community too.

A year into the job I was promoted to head of English. I am now head of year and sit on the governing body too. I didn’t realise how rare it was for a woman of colour to hold a leadership position in a UK school and I’m proud to be part of the change. I would love other young people to continue taking up the mantle, to see that those roles are within their reach. Even if you are the only person who looks like you, going for jobs you deserve will enrich the diversity in classrooms.

I have my father’s love of writing and instil that passion in the children I teach. I established a partnership with Manchester’s Portico library that gives our pupils the chance to have a book review or short story published each year. A couple of years ago, I travelled to South Africa to establish links with a school in Cape Town. Now the children write to one another and share details about their lives. Writing unlocks the world for young people; it brings a subject or a place to life and allows them to express their own views and experiences.

There is so much I love about teaching – the children, the joy they get as they progress. Playing a part in that is so rewarding, it gives me real purpose. This is a profession where hard work pays off. Our school is creative, we try to give the children ownership, chances to lead their learning, guiding them to discover answers for themselves.

There are pupils going through hard times who allow me to connect with them too. The children inspire me as much as I hope I inspire them. I have worked hard but come far. It’s a job where I know that my best is enough. My parents had their own dreams but the sacrifices they made are my driving force and I am forever grateful to them for that. I feel that this path, this profession, makes their sacrifices worthwhile.

Rihula Sameer-Mour, 30, is head of English and of year 4 at Beaver Road Primary School, in Didsbury, Manchester.

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