Meet the Teacher - Anna Hasper

In this interview, Anna reflects on what teacher empowerment really means in practice. From building trust and a 'community of care' in the classroom to navigating moments of feeling unheard, she shares the principles that keep her grounded and effective, and why relationship building is the real superpower in teaching.

Is there a routine or technique that you use to hone a feeling of power or efficacy, i.e. what is your power pose or ritual?

Mmm, I don’t really relate to a feeling of 'power'. I’m not sure it has a place in education, really. I’d like to see my classroom much more as a community of care, where everything we do comes from a place of care. The superpower in learning and teaching, for me, is relationship building, because building strong, trusting relationships enhances the partnership. Learning is a shared responsibility.

For that to happen we need to have an open, curious mind and show our learners that they really matter to us. If you are asking me about a ritual that helps me bring a calm and kind self into the lesson, well, a strange one maybe, but brushing my teeth before my lessons start and telling myself in the mirror 'you’ve got this'. Just share your passion.

Do you recall a moment when you felt disempowered as a teacher?

Well, who doesn’t? I vividly recall a time when, in an observation, I was told to do XYZ because that was regarded as 'best practice'. The issue is, does that actually exist? Everything we do in the classroom is very much context-sensitive. In this case, the observer had never asked me about my learners and their specific needs.

So yes, while that’s what the books may tell you, I felt totally unvalued and unheard because I had valid reasons to run an activity in a certain way, but they did not ask for my view and reasoning. They simply judged me.

What does teacher empowerment mean for you?

Wow, that’s a hard question. Teacher empowerment for me comes down to feeling that I am trusted by my managers and given the freedom, within limits, to do what I know is appropriate for my learners at that moment, in that specific context. Empowerment stems from feeling supported and accepted in my professional environment.

How do you create spaces for conversation in your lessons?

For me it is all about building and maintaining relationships. Simply because relationships built on mutual respect and trust are the foundation of feeling that the classroom is a safe space. And honestly, without that, students won’t be able to focus on their learning.

Thinking back on your teaching journey, what was a defining moment for your teacher identity?

A defining moment for my teacher identity? Wow, too many to think of. However, I think they all relate to realising how much our role can be as an enabler, both in language learning and beyond it.

One of my biggest realisations is that there is so much more that we teach. Teachers don’t just teach a language, we teach people to communicate in that language, and for that they need to employ human skills. Helping them develop those skills, often in a different cultural context, is key.

One situation that popped to mind was when one of my adult learners felt continuously 'ignored' by others in class. No one wanted to work with her after a while. When she asked me why that was, I felt a bit uncomfortable, but I decided to be honest in the nicest possible way. We explored how she felt about working with others, and how they might feel about it. It was a tricky, tearful, raw conversation, but at the end of the course she told me that it was this conversation that made her think and reflect on her own attitude. She had not only learned a language while studying with me, she had also learned to build genuine connections with others.

This gave me goosebumps and made me realise how much I love my teaching job, and being an enabler.

Download Anna’s ASPIRE Framework, a practical reflection tool for teachers designed to support authentic, inclusive, and human-centred classroom practice, introduced at the ‘Voices in Education: Teacher Edition 2025’ online event.