Teacher Fatmanur from Antalya teaches in a village on the Turkey-Armenia border

Şimşek, who has been teaching for 2 years in Çetindurak village in the Akyaka district, is striving to prepare her students for the future under the best conditions in a border village miles away from her hometown of Antalya, where harsh winter conditions prevail.

Having learned to light a stove in this village where she started her profession and preparing her 3 students for the future in a warm classroom, Şimşek shows the effort to provide the best education even under difficult conditions.

Şimşek, who plays volleyball and spends time with her students during breaks, personally drops the children off at their homes one by one after school to protect them from the danger of wild animals in the rural village during the winter season.

"I WAS READY TO SERVE WHEREVER MY FLAG WAVES"

Classroom teacher Fatmanur Şimşek said that she started her duty in Çetindurak village in the Akyaka district of Kars with the appointment made last year.

Stating that she came from 1600 kilometers away to the city where she works, Şimşek spoke as follows:

"I set out saying 'every child is a star waiting to be discovered.' For this, the place and time did not matter at all. I was ready to serve wherever my flag waves. From Edirne to Kars, we call this our beloved homeland. For this reason, I came to Çetindurak village on the Armenian border in the far east of Kars.

"I LEARNED HERE THAT WATER FREEZES"

In Antalya, I didn't know what it meant for water to freeze, but here our water froze. We carried coal and ensured it was delivered. Thank goodness our Ministry of National Education helped with every issue, and we completed the deficiencies of our school."

Şimşek explained that the school where she works had been closed for 9 years previously and that students had received bused education during this period, stating that there were many deficiencies in the building because the educational home had been closed for a long time.

"I AM HERE TO ENSURE EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY IN EDUCATION"

Saying that it took time to complete these deficiencies, Şimşek said, "We will continue to complete them, we believed we would succeed. The most important thing for me was that our children were no different from city children; I wanted to ensure equality of opportunity, and that is why I am here. I am in the village, and I am happy here. Yes, there are some difficulties in being on the border; I was always saying, 'It's so close that we can see their houses (in the Armenian villages),' and no one believed me. I have never been on such a close border before," she said.

"SOMETIMES THE PHONE DOESN'T EVEN GET A SIGNAL, BUT I AM HAPPY HERE"

Emphasizing that there are beautiful sides to teaching in the village as well as the difficulties, Şimşek noted the following:

"I commute to the district with my own vehicle; we see wolves and foxes on the road. Sometimes the phone doesn't even get a signal, but I am happy. I mean, I am happy because I am with my children. I want to have a beautiful place in their big hearts within their small bodies, and I am ready to do anything for this cause.

"HAVING FEW STUDENTS IS AN ADVANTAGE FOR US"

We started education with 3 students; it's like one-on-one education, like special education. I come every day, I check their homework one by one, we look at their mistakes one by one, we read books together, and then we start the lesson. Having few students is a great advantage for us because I can look at what mistake each of them makes individually."

"I LEARNED TO LIGHT A STOVE HERE"

Explaining that she is also in constant contact with the parents, Şimşek said, "My parents also come and go to the school. In the mornings at school, our staff member lights the stove, and in the afternoon, I light it. I had never seen a stove in Antalya before, and I had never lit a stove; at first, I was very anxious and kept calling my mother to get information, but now I have learned to light a stove too," she said.