I still remember that busy autumn evening as I hurried with my eldest daughter, Athena, to get to her classroom on time for parent-teacher night. We walked in and all eyes were on me. A few adults quickly quieted their kids’ whispers. A classmate yelled to my daughter, “What’s wrong with your mom’s face?”

Shocked, I started to explain my condition but my 6-year-old daughter looked at him and said, “It’s my mom’s birthmark! Don’t be rude!” I was extremely proud of how she approached that situation.

I was quite young when I realized I looked different because of my large facial birthmark. I always thought I would be alone hecause of it. Being compared to Batman’s evil Two-Face made me believe I could never find love, but I was lucky enough to meet my husband, who saw me for who I am inside.

When I had my first daughter, I was overjoyed, but I began to worry if world would judge my children. I also worried I might pass my condition onto my children; I didn’t want them to grow up feeling judged.

Unfortunately, my facial difference has impacted my children. My daughters get disinvited (取消邀请) from birthday parties or sleepovers, or I learn certain kids are no longer friends with mine after their parents saw me at school.

When my kids were young, I explained how my special purple skin was rare, and we talked about acceptance and never judging others on how they look. When my girls kiss my purple-skinned cheek, I feel “normal” around them and their unconditional love.

With time, both my daughters have become my strongest supporters. Thanks to them, I’ve begun to feel more self-confident as I try to be a good role model.

Their worldviews are similar to mine: we see the world a little differently and with a kinder, more accepting heart. As the saying goes, your daughters will grow up to be your best friends. I know that will be the case for me!

Miss Marquis was my mentor (导师) when I was 12 and she’s my mentor now as a teacher.

My family moved to the UK from Saudi Arabia in 2017. When I started school there, I didn’t have a great understanding of the English language. Thankfully, I had an amazing teacher called Miss Marquis who helped me get through it. She pushed me all the way and gave me the right guidance.

During my teacher training with ARK, I was given a place at Globe Academy in London as a math teacher. When I saw the head of the English department was Miss Marquis, my jaw (下巴) dropped. It was unbelievable.

I still can’t call her by her first name. The respect I have for her is still there. In one of the lessons I observed she was reading the same book we used in our GCSEs and it took me back to the days when I was being taught by her. You knew you could go to her and share your problems. At the same time, you would never mess about in her lesson. Misbehaving was simply not done.

My aim as a teacher is affected by her. Teaching is about the mark you make on other people’s lives. I’ve worked in a few different schools during my training but I chose ARK because it gives opportunities to children who may not be from wealthy backgrounds. I am trying to have an impact on these people.

It doesn’t matter how many books you read, and nothing can prepare you for your first lesson. I have read all the theories about how to manage behavior but a lot of them just go out of my head when I walk into the classroom because they’re not robots. They’re all unique individuals and you can’t control them. You need to put the work in and build relationships with the students.