Meet Carla Hyland, Dover Court International School's Deputy Head of Secondary - Curriculum and Learning. She grew up as a third-culture kid and has been teaching at Dover Court for 10 years. Read more to find out about her teaching career and what makes teaching at Dover Court special.
Q: Can you please tell us a bit about your background?
A: I have an English father, Chilean mother and lived across many different countries growing up, including Nigeria, Malawi, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, going to international schools very similar to DCIS in many respects. I returned to the United Kindgom for schooling at 13 and continued to complete my GCSE and A Level, Degree in Law and Psychology and Postgraduate Certificate in Education in Secondary Citizenship. After teaching in London for three years, my husband and I decided that we wanted to experience international teaching so we embarked on a two-year (so we thought at the time!) journey to Singapore.
Q: You’ve been teaching at Dover Court for 10 years. What do you love about teaching here and what do you feel makes Dover Court a special place?
A: The students are what make it so special – they are enthusiastic, creative, inspiring, and unique. Our colleagues are wonderful also, extremely talented teachers and support staff, who are enormously dedicated to their work. We place the students in the centre of all decision-making. I love that Dover Court is so inclusive, it is what I believe education should be all about. I am really proud of the inclusive pathways we have created here, something that is truly unique in an international setting, and the high standards we have for all of our students.
Q: What is the best part about working in Dover Court?
A: The students make me so proud every day and I work with the most wonderful team. Every day is different so it is an exciting and dynamic environment to be in, filled with laughter and smiles.
Q: You’ve lived in Nigeria, Malawi, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. How different is that compared to Singapore?
A: It would be like comparing apples and pears! That said, like Singapore, each country had a rich and unique culture that I remember so vividly and think very fondly of. Malawi was all about the animals though and if I had to pick a favourite, this would be it. Getting to see ‘The Big Five’ (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant and African buffalo)during the weekend is pretty special.
Q: Who inspired you to go into the education sector and why?
A: When I started university I was still quite unsure which career direction I wanted to head in, but I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to do some school placements, working as a teaching assistant, and I just loved it and knew that this was the right path for me. I also knew that I wanted my future, and that of my own children in time, to be like my own childhood, and I knew that teaching would be a great way to travel and see the world.
Q: Your greatest passion in life is travel. Which destination is next on your bucket list?
A: COVID (and young children!) have really hampered my ability to travel in the last few years it would be fair to say! Once my little ones are a bit more grown up I can’t wait to start exploring the world again with them. I would love to go back to Japan with them as I have only been once but loved it, and also to South Korea as a new destination.
Q: Share a fun fact about DCIS with us.
A: Did you know that when I first started at the school (in 2011) we still didn’t have emails!? We communicated on ‘green memo’ notepads. I remember being quite shocked by this at first, but it was lovely in so many ways – it meant that as a staff community we always spoke to each other in person about everything and this really helped us to feel like a strong community! Times have changed out of necessity of course!
Q: If I’m not a teacher, I would be a...
A: Doula. I love everything ‘medical’ and have been so deeply changed by my own journey into motherhood that being able to support other women during this time would be fascinating and such an honour.
