Not Just a Job but a Passion

 

" Teaching is not a profession; it's a passion. Without passion for your subject and a desire for your students to learn and be the best in the world, then we have failed as a teacher, and failure is not an option." -John F. Podoji.

" Teaching is not a profession; it's a passion. Without passion for your subject and a desire for your students to learn and be the best in the world, then we have failed as a teacher, and failure is not an option." -John F. Podoji.

Teaching is not something I have to do; it's something I like to do. Teaching is a sacred job, and it's one of the most challenging and intricate jobs because it deals with students' minds and demands a lot of patience, wisdom, and knowledge.

For me, teaching is not a part-time job because to teach means to think of my students all the time, to indulge in their problems, trying to do my best to help them, to think of new activities, search for new tools, trying to find the best way to deliver the information for them. I don’t want to be just an instructor, but to be a person that students trust, respect, and love. I teach orphans and underprivileged students. These students have many psychological and social problems. Most of them suffer a lot, so I must understand them and be there for them. Someone once told me that to be a good teacher, I must be fair, firm, and friendly. The secret lies in these 3 f’s. I’m trying to apply this in my teaching. 

Be a Nice Memory

 Teachers meet many students every year with different personalities, backgrounds, and ways of thinking. And they forget about most of their students after a couple of years, but those students may never forget them or their words all their lives. The teacher's words may accompany the students all the time, settle down at the bottom of their hearts. Students remember the words that hurt them the most of the words that make them happy and affect them.

I still remember two teachers from elementary classes. One that I love the most and the other mmm, I don't at all. The first teacher is Mr. Khaled. He told me once in a low voice when I solve a difficult Mathematics problem that he was quite sure that I'll solve it. “You are brilliant.” I loved the subject because of him, and now I'm a Mathematics teacher. I smile every time I solve a difficult problem and feel confident; whereas the second teacher told me when I asked him about something that this was a stupid question, and one like me should never ask such a question, I felt embarrassed, and after all this time, I still remember how I felt.

" Please taste your words before you spit them out"(Rishab Uttarkar) because they might become the only memory from you. Say nice and sincere words, encourage your students, and remember to plant the seeds of good memories with your students, make your students smile when you cross their minds and think before you say something that might hurt others. 

Impossible Mission

Being a wife, a mom for three kids, a teacher, and a student simultaneously is not easy at all. It’s like having an impossible mission. Sometimes, while trying to manage all of these, I forget to take care of myself. 

I admit this year was tough. I faced many challenges and had my ups and downs. I felt depleted sometimes and cried. I had many responsibilities, and I wanted everything to be just perfect, but unfortunately, this didn’t happen. 

But at last, I realized that I am not a superheroine. We are all humans; we all make mistakes. Life is not perfect, and so we are. It’s ok if we felt tired and if we failed. We have to try to balance and give ourselves a break sometimes. The most important thing is that we can't quit; this is not an option. We must stay strong and achieve our goals in life.

Unforgettable Memory

I still remember the first time I started teaching. There was that little boy that was always standing near the window looking outside. I asked him many times to sit in his place, but he refused. I tried to make him engaged in my class but with no use. I didn't know what to do. He refused to do anything except looking out from the window. Until I discovered that his parents were divorced and put him in the orphanage without seeing him or taking him home even on summer vacation. He felt that he was in prison and missed them. School and lessons meant nothing to him, and I couldn't blame him at that time; he was a lonely little boy. That's why he was standing all the time beside the window. After this, I tried harder to encourage him to participate in our discussions and activities; I sometimes succeeded in letting him enjoy the session and making him smile. Still, most of the time, I didn't. I wish there was a happy ending for this story, but unfortunately, there wasn't. Next year I didn't see him, I asked about him, and they told me that the school administrator asked his parents to come and take him during weekends at least and they refused so maybe they took him to another place. Till now, when I remember him, I feel pain in my heart. I wish I could help him, but at that time, there was no phycologist at the school, and I didn't have enough experience to deal with such a case. I wish life wasn't so hard on him.

A Great Instructor

Thanks for online learning that allows me to meet Dr. Amal Farhat, the EDU 561 course instructor at the LIU.

She is one of the best instructors I’ve ever met. She’s passionate about her job, a hard worker, and the most important thing is that she is so patient. Dr. Amal never loses her temper or complains, although we ask many questions all the time. She’s is a warm, enthusiastic, caring, understandable, and considerate person who is always ready to help us and make sure that we feel comfortable and at ease. She listens to us with her sincere smile, thoroughly explaining the material, making everything seem so clear. 

 

Bullying

 

Most children who practice violent bullying have social and psychological problems.  Some children have financial problems and suffer from poverty. They feel that there are many things that they can't afford and many needs that they can't fulfill, so they express their anger through violent acts. While others are spoiled and have impunity, so they think that they can do whatever they want without being punished. Some are just victims of their environment or their families. They are suffering from bad treatment, and this reflects in their behavior toward others.

The school I teach in is mainly for underprivileged students. Most students practice bullying; they try to hurt each other badly in any possible way. Our children have many problems, and most of them hide suffering and pain behind their aggressive attitudes, they feel afraid deep inside, and they need our help. They need to feel loved and secured. The school administration works hard to reduce bullying. Many actions were taken. We attended many workshops to know how to deal with them. Besides, we are lucky because we have social workers and psychologists that are ready to help these children. Many awareness campaigns about bullying were held in our school. Teachers, social workers, and physiologists interact with those children and their families, understand them, and try to help them. We try to tell the students what is accepted and what is not. We introduce lessons about school violence,  teach them about good morals and values, and how to be kind to others. We instruct students that problems and conflicts are solved by words, not by violent actions. 

Activities and Games in my Classroom

We are in the 21st century. Lecturing is unacceptable anymore, especially while teaching scientific subjects. The class must be student-centered. Students must participate in the learning process; they must deduce the rules by themselves. In my class, I try my best to make learning fun and interesting. I introduce lots of activities and games in my lessons. These activities allow my students to interact and enjoy learning. I design these activities using simple materials like CDs, plastic cups, spoons, forks, kinder eggs, tweezers, playing cards, etc. By introducing these activities and games, students become more motivated and eager to learn and pay more attention. Through these games, I try to encourage teamwork and cooperative learning. It takes time and hard work to create new activities in every lesson, but my efforts pay off when I see the smile on my students’ faces.

Effective learning in the 21st century

 

For better attainment and effective learning, I would like to emphasize the concept of affordability and how it is essential for the educator to consider various factors related to learners' environment, ability to access, and even tailored the material to fit with learners' diverse needs and abilities. Affordability is related to access to knowledge without barriers of any kind. Supporting the learners by developing effective communication channels allows educators to give feedback, support their students when needed, and listen to their problems. Dual communication channels make supporting easier where problems can easily identify and work on them before being dangerous to the education process. I agree with the importance of supporting students by developing effective communication channels that allow educators to give their students feedback and support. The universality of the material is considered essential for developing a global online course that can be applied to broader measures.

EDU 561

 

One of my favorite courses during this fall semester is EDU 561. In this course, we learn how to introduce technology in our teaching and apply different tools, apps, platforms, and websites in our lessons. These tools are applicable and useful like Webquest, Goformative, Google form, Padlet, Mentimeter, Kahoot, and Poll Everywhere. Effective teachers can benefit from these various tools in their teaching. They can use them to introduce a new lesson, evaluate the students, make them engage in learning activities, and many other ways.

This course is beneficial, practical, and essential, especially during the Coronavirus pandemic where remote and distance learning is mandatory.

 

 

My Online Teaching Experiences

Distance learning is a new experience for both teachers and students. It may be challenging and demanding sometimes, but teachers always try their best to make it delightful and beneficial. 

Although my online teaching experience of fall 2020 was enjoyable, it was tough at the same time. This experience enriched my skills and allowed me to use many new platforms. I enjoyed learning about these new tools to facilitate my work during remote teaching. It was an excellent opportunity to expand my knowledge, develop my skills, add to my expertise, and stay updated on the latest online teaching strategies. Besides, it was great to sit at my own pace, sometimes wearing my pajamas and drinking my coffee while delivering my lessons.

 However, it was challenging as I had to regularly find new methods to explain the lessons and keep my students engaged, which was not easy. I struggled to keep boredom away and make them enjoy the sessions. It cost an arm and a leg to find new activities, new platforms, and new resources. Moreover, the poor internet connection caused me frustration and devastation.

 In short, I miss being with my students and interacting with them. I  miss their laughs, curiosity, and even their misbehaving sometimes. I would do anything to go back to my school.