As the first academic year of Chatteris Empower wraps up, Chatteris Teaching Intern Jawariya reflects on the importance of diversity in education, and how she has seen this firsthand at her placement school…

My name is Jawariya, and I’ve lived in Hong Kong all my life. I grew up here, spoke the same language, studied in the same schools, yet sometimes I felt apart. A glance from a passerby, a hesitation in a crowd, small reminders that I was ‘different’. 

As a Muslim, I cover my body, my hair, my face, even my hands. Only my eyes speak for me. And though I’ve always been confident in this choice, my heart trembled when I thought of the professional world. Would it accept me? Would it silence me? 

When I applied to Chatteris, that fear followed me. During my interview, I asked the question that had been sitting heavy in my chest: ‘Will my attire be a problem in teaching?’ The pause felt endless. And then came the words that changed everything: ‘No. We assure you it won’t be a problem.’ 

That single answer gave me courage. It told me I could step into the classroom fully myself, without compromise. 

The First Days

The beginning was not easy. Students were hesitant. They kept their distance, quiet and reserved. My attire was unfamiliar to them, and unfamiliarity often feels like fear. I remember standing in front of the class, teaching phonics, and feeling the weight of their silence. Some children even looked scared. It hurt, not because they meant harm, but because I wanted so badly to connect.

The Long Process

The breakthrough did not come quickly. It took months, but slowly, the walls began to come down. I shared pieces of myself with them. I told them what I liked, and asked what they liked. ‘Do you like ice cream?’, I asked. Their faces lit up when they said yes. We discovered small similarities, favourite foods, games, even dislikes. These became bridges between us. 

At first, they were shy when they saw me outside of school. If I waved, they hesitated, unsure what to make of me. But over time, that changed. One boy asked me, ‘Are you a ninja?’ Another called me ‘Star Wars.’ Their words made me laugh, not because they were teasing, but because they were trying to make sense of me in the only way they knew how. Later, when trust had grown, they began to ask real questions: ‘Why do you dress like that? Where are you from?’ Their curiosity was genuine, and it was beautiful. I realised then: curiosity is not something to silence, it is something to guide.

Everyday Trust

The real signs of connection came in the small, spontaneous moments. One day, a student raised his hand mid-lesson, not to answer a question but to announce proudly, ‘I lost my tooth last week!’ Another time, a child told me about visiting pandas at Ocean Park, his favourite animal. These weren’t just cute interruptions; they were signs of trust. My students wanted me to be part of their everyday joys. 

During a classroom game called ‘Hot Seat’, one twin came forward while the other stayed behind to give hints. The word was running. The twin smiled and said, ‘You always did this when you were young.’ It was such a simple moment, but it showed how family bonds and classroom play could merge into laughter and learning.

And then there was ‘67’. It became our inside joke, something silly we shared as a group. The students would ask me to do it, laugh, and then repeat it with me. That laughter was proof of how far we had come together.

One Year Later


By the end of the year, the contrast was huge. The same students who once sat in silence now greeted me with high fives, laughter, and excitement. They no longer saw me as ‘different.’ They saw me as their educator.

In the hallway, they crowded around, eager to share their stories: ‘My dad likes this car’, ‘I ate this for breakfast today’, ‘I played this game last night’. Sometimes they shared small victories, like losing a tooth or learning something new. These moments showed me how much trust had grown. They wanted me to be part of their everyday lives.

Final Thoughts

And that is the impact of diversity in education. It is not about the educator alone. It is about the students. It is about how their world expands when they learn from someone who looks, dresses, and lives differently. 

They learned English, yes. But they also learned empathy. They learned patience. They learned that difference is not dangerous; it is simply unfamiliar. And once it becomes familiar, it becomes accepted. 

I am Jawariya. Fully covered, fully confident, and fully committed to showing students that diversity is not just about language. It is about inclusion, acceptance, and the joy of discovering that connection can be found anywhere: in a recess game, in a child’s innocent question about ninjas, in a shared love of ice cream, in a silly ‘67’ joke, or in the quiet trust that grows day by day. 

And I wonder: what if every child grew up learning from educators of every background, educators who looked, dressed, and lived differently from them? Would discrimination and fear of difference still exist in the next generation, or would it fade into memory, replaced by empathy and acceptance?

Passionate about impacting students in the way Jawariya has? Click here to see if you qualify for the Chatteris English Teaching Internship, and apply now.