Becoming a teacher is one of the most common answers to the infamous question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
And as is the case with many children, teaching was Joyce Kiango’s childhood dream job. The pre-school teacher used to tell her parents she wanted to become a teacher. And teaching is exactly what she does today, except that she does it differently. She is a freelancer and therefore teaches in various schools at different times. Joyce has through her work touched the lives of over 300 kindergartners in about 60 nursery schools in a period of eight years.
“Teaching gives you the chance to witness the making of great minds,” she tells Woman.
I met Joyce for interview at Fun Hearts Academy in Kigamboni, where she teaches part time. I was impressed by the way she interacts with the pupils, and especially her entrance into the school’s gathering room, which involved dancing along with the children as well as singing the alphabet. Her unique style earned her appreciative glances and applause from fellow teachers.
After the dancing and singing session, pupils returned to their respective classes. Joyce joined the pre-unit class with over eight students. She taught them about ‘sources of water,’ a lesson that required the class to gather around a small table in the middle of the classroom. Together they began chanting a song that reflected on the topic.
Her teaching style is the same as the signature opening of her Watoto Shangwe TV show on Azam TV. During the show that airs from 4 pm to 5 pm, from Monday to Friday, the creative teacher playfully sways her body while showing parts of the body and counting using her fingers.
Joyce’s teaching career journey began in 2014 at Patmo Junior School in Tabata, Dar es Salaam. She was employed as a a middle-class teacher before becoming a pre-unit teacher, a position she serves to date.
During her interview at Patmo Junior School, Joyce was required to teach parts of the body, which she nailed following a night of preparation. The headteacher was impressed with how she interacted with the pupils. She was then asked to make alphabet sounds, something she did not know at the time.
“I thought my failure to make the sounds meant I had failed the interview, so even when the headmaster thanked me for my time, I thought that was it. In about a week’s time, I got a call where I was informed that I had gotten the job on the condition that I had to master the sounds in three weeks’ time since it was an important part of the job.” Her career took a turn when her then student, Mai Zumo, a young comedian who is popular on social media, joined her class at Patmo Junior School.
Mai’s family had a tendency of helping her with the revision of what she had been taught at school. Through this, Joyce’s name became common in their household. Being a family of comedians, they created an Instagram skit where Mai was showcased dreaming about what she had been taught at school, and Joyce’s name was definitely mentioned .
“When my name was tagged on the post, my life truly took an unexpected turn,” she explains.
The engagement on the video increased when people with high followership on Instagram including Jokate Mwegelo, the Temeke District Commissioner and Albert Msando, a renowned lawyer shared the video.
“Almost every parent wanted me to teach their children, which made schools from different parts of the country to give me job offers. Some of these schools include Stars Academy in Arusha and One Planet International School in Dodoma.”
It was through these offers, some which Joyce gladly accepted that she got to experience a Cambridge curriculum. At the time, Joyce started to think about sharing her knowledge with as many pupils as possible without being limited to one school.
While she considered this, Azam TV reached out to her with an offer that was almost similar to her idea of being a freelancer.
“They suggested a TV show that would be aired on their station. The show involves going to different schools to teach as well as being part of the content that benefits many more pupils.” Joyce says the thought of not being tied to one school sounded like a dream come true. “Today I host a show named Watoto Shangwe, which is almost a year old. This is truly a great achievement for me,” she says.
Joyce says while most Tanzanian societies look down on the profession, this should not discourage people who want to explore being teachers. “Teaching, like any other job can earn you happiness, respect and wealth if you work hard.”
For teachers who have given up on themselves, Joyce says; “I want to remind them that we all start somewhere. Teaching requires one to start where they are with what they have before heading in the direction of their liking.”
She adds; “You can start by volunteering at the nearest school and while there, go all out, be creative and prove to them that you deserve the job.”
Being a freelance teacher who has worked in both government and private schools, Joyce has been able to learn different cultures and practices that she took as life lessons.
Her goal is to one day establish her own preschool.
Damaris Maluki, the headteacher at Fun Hearts Academy praises Joyce for her teaching skills and her patience with pupils.
“I am impressed by how she owns the class and makes the pupils feel as if she is one of them. She takes her time to ensure what she teaches is well understood. This shows how she loves her work,” says Damaris.
Juliette Shoo, a teacher at One Planet International School describes Joyce as a creative teacher with techniques that make children pay attention during class sessions.
“In her, I see a teacher who truly values her work. She knows that dancing along with pupils and singing makes pupils understand her better and it is evident that they do. This has created a great bond between her and the children,” says Juliette.
