Thoughts of A Teacher

Fifty years from now, it will no longer matter how cute, tall, or successful I was; nor will it matter how much money I had. Yet the world might be different to somebody because I once inspired and affected this person’s childhood positively. Who knows, I might even be teaching the future president of my country… So what does matter is that we don’t underestimate the power of a teacher, because as Christina McAuliffe once said: “I touch the future. I teach.” In order to do so, a teacher should take into account her/his different roles, students’ self-esteem, students' needs and different levels of learning, student’s interaction among them as well as with the teacher, in addition to the general classroom environment...and much more.No one ever said that teaching is an easy job. Yet, we must always remember that “A teacher who is attempting to teach without inspiring the pupils with a desire to learn is hammering cold iron.” Horace Mann.

To My Graduating Colleagues

When we first entered university, we all seemed kind of lost, not knowing what will we become, or what we can accomplish. Now we leave knowing exactly who we are, and how much we can accomplish. We now know that graduation means using our education to become successful and to give back to the community which we have come from. We now know that being an educator is not an easy task, but it is not impossible as well.
A piece of advice I would like to share with you all  is simply to enjoy what you do,this is the true key of any successful career. Moreover, don't miss all the fun of the present moment worrying about your problems, your future, what will happen to you in the next couple of years...or even days, simply let it go and enjoy the ride, let it take you to special and unexpected places. Remember, that in the real world our there, you don't receive respect, you earn it...and you are not given opportunities, you fight for them!
Also remember that the one thing that you have, and that no one else in the whole world has...is YOU! Your voice, your ideas, and your vision of a better future; work on them, make them come true, turn them into reality, and make a change...a positive change! The world is deeply in need of it today.

Too Permissive Parents

Children today are spoiled a lot by their own parents, perhaps because the parents themselves were deprived of so many thing in their childhood, they want their children to have everything they themselves were deprived of and even more. Parents don't want to have their children feel embarrassed or simply sad because they don't get what they want, or don't have the things their friends have, since the parents themselves have gone through the same experience and know that it is not easy. Parents don't open their eyes to the fact that they are doing their children more harm than good, they are even doing themselves harm since their children get more and more stubborn, demanding, and hard to control. 
As for psychologists who say that parents must not let their children feel sad because that might affect their ego, they simply have to stay aside and let the parents do their jobs rather than coming up with nonsense philosophies. Parents know their children more than anybody else in the world, they simply want the best for their children, and no psychologist would know what is better for the children than his or her parents!!!       

Excessive Makeup

Although it could cause a few skin reactions, makeup has no major negative effects. Yet, I wonder why females are so obsessed with makeup and afraid of being seen without it. Believe it or not, it is true! I'm not saying that I am against makeup, or that I don't use beauty products...I do! But not on daily basis, not to the extent that it would cause skin reactions, NOT EXCESSIVELY! 
 Even though excessive makeup has no major or deadly effect I just don't accept it. Why do girls use it regularly if they know that it is harmful? Unfortunately, I hear a lot of girls saying that they don't actually mind as long as makeup is there to cover the damages that occur in their faces, but I think: why cover all that if you can get rid of it and display your natural beauty? Sometimes girls tend to cover small acne with so many cosmetics, even when people don't actually notice that she has acne with no makeup on. Females are simply obsessed with beauty products and physical appearance to the extent that damaging their skin becomes part of their daily routine.

Single-Gender Schools

In observance of student-teacher interaction, studies have shown that boys are called out 8 times as often as girls; girls had to raise their hands to talk, and were expected to be extremely polite whereas boys didn't, they would even talk without permission and the teacher would praise them for answering! Thus boys and girls are treated differently in co-educational settings, which is why they would both benefit from  single gender classrooms.
Personally, I have studied in a single gender religious school, and it was very important for me as a girl to study in such a school. First because I wanted to learn more about my religion, yet in a lot of situations a girl might be shy to ask the teacher questions that are kind of personal if there were boys in class, so we used to feel comfortable and confident to ask personal questions because we knew most of us-girls- were passing through the same situation, or might eventually pass through it. Second, we felt comfortable sharing our way of thinking without being mocked or thought of as "girlish". Finally, we were treated very well and respected by all teachers, and even the administration, they would all treat us as their daughters, they didn't use offensive language with us even when we did something wrong, they would rather sit with us, advice us, and show us our mistakes; whereas if there were boys with us in the class there might have been a lot of shouting or even offensive talk. 
Personally, as a girls, I am 100% with single gender schools.     

Women's Rights in Lebanon

In comparison to other Arab countries, Lebanese women consider themselves lucky to be born in a country where they can enjoy their freedom of dressing whatever they want, or driving their own cars without a male. Yet, it is frustrating for them to know that they will not be able to give their husbands or children the Lebanese nationality if they decide to marry a "non-Lebanese"man, even if they were born and raised in Lebanon.
Giving children who were born and raised outside Lebanon, and who might not even know Lebanon or are not even interested in this country, a citizenship just because their fathers are Lebanese, and not giving it to those who were born and lived their whole life in Lebanon just because their fathers are not Lebanese is incredibly unbelievable! Instead of giving women their "rights" to go out whenever they want or wherever they want, and instead of giving them the "right" to dress up the way they want, or not even dressing at all if they feel like it, why not consider giving them a right that will affect their lives and that of their children?   

Islam: Fastest Growing Religion

It is fascinating how Islam has grown up on the shoulders of the poor and weak, and was able to reach every country in the world. How it was able to survive despite all the difficulties it passed, and is still passing, through. Muslims were able to convey the true message of Islam as they traveled all  over the world, carrying with them their beliefs and ethics. Although it started out with a few followers, and they were all slaves and poor, this religion has spread all over the world, which shows us that although we might find some bumps in the road, that doesn't mean we should stoop, the beginning of every journey is hard; but we must always be strong to reach what we believe in. 

Even though the enemies of Islam are working hard in order to distort its' image(ISIS) nevertheless, a lot of non-Muslims become curious about this religion; they ask , they search, and a lot of them end up converting to Islam. In France, 30% age 20 and below are Muslims, estimates that in 39 years France will be an Islamic republic. In Netherlands 50% of the newborns are Muslims and in 15 years, half of its population will be so. Thus without swords, guns, conquests, or terrorism Islam has spread all over the world and it is now the fastest growing religion.

Mother-Daughter Bond

Women at midlife usually have a good relationship with their mothers, though they wish it could be better. This is why mothers continue to mother and daughters still seek their advice and approval later in life. Personally, I believe that I would never EVER stop asking my mother for advice no matter what, although sometimes I admit that I annoy her with all the advises I ask for, no matter how silly they might be, such as asking her what to wear(even at home!); yet I know that she is the only person that would really be there for me no matter what. Mother will always be honest with me, guide me to the right path, prevent me from doing the same mistakes she did, hear my nagging and complains, and with not doubt she will always be the shoulder I would cry on when I need it. A mother is her daughter's first companion, guardian, guide, and her BEST friend!
May God grant us the patience to deal patiently with her in her old age as she dealt patiently with us when we were small and young. May He always bless her and reward her for loving and protecting us.

"From Technology to Talk: Digital Resources for Deeper Classroom Conversations"- Webinar

I attended this webinar on March 14, 2016, and it was presented by Kevin Baird. He began by introducing blended learning which is a formal educational program consisting of two instructional approaches: technology based, and face to face interaction. This means that the real blend is between technology and talk, which eventually lead to things that define literacy as: reading comprehension, and argumentation. Kevin suggested different ways in which we can improve reading comprehension and shed the light on the importance of using technology to have students hear the language rather than only read it, emphasizing that "technology makes any text accessible to my ears...and for free." After that, Baird introduced argumentation through giving the idea of showing students a video and having them argue, i.e. have a class discussion about it. By doing so,students will share their thoughts, orient themselves to others' thoughts, deepen their reasoning, and engage in reasoning of others. Thus, we can't just slam books in front of kids...have them: hear, give opinions, and argue!

This was the very first webinar I attended so far. Although I struggled a lot with the sound and the connection in general, it was quite interesting to attend a meeting with people from all over the world online! Kevin talked about really interesting ideas that teachers should be aware of in order to come up with a more effective lesson. Although I had taken a lot of courses about how important it is to adapt your lesson to the students' needs and interests, have them discuss their own thoughts, and not to mention how many lessons we took about the importance of the listening skill which a lot of teachers don't pay much attention to...Yet I never actually thought about all of that working together, but Kevin kind of combined them all through the use of blended learning, which is something I didn't really know much about until I attended the webinar. Moreover, I never actually thought about the outcomes of discussions the way Kevin showed it. I used to think about it as an opportunity for students to share their thoughts and respect that of others, but the way Kevin presented it clarified the importance of having the students deepen their reasoning, i.e. use critical thinking, as well as try to see things from others' perspectives, which is also really complex even for mature adults. 
This webinar has actually benefited me a lot and I am looking forward for attending other ones later!

    

Technology in class

This semester, I have registered an interesting course related to the use of technology in class, it is called "Educational Media and Technology". When we hear of technology in class, what usually pops into our minds is the use of power point presentations, LCD, projectors, cables, speakers, audios, or even a listening quiz! Yet, after just a couple of sessions in this new course, I have realized that as a teacher, I can use technology in so many interesting ways which not only make my classes effective and engaging for the students, but it would also facilitate my work as a teacher since it saves a lot of time and effort. For example, I can send my students forms, perhaps as a homework, in which students answer some questions to know how well they have understood the topic after we finish each unit. By doing so I can evaluate my work and show my students that I care about them, and that I am willing to improve and take their perspectives into account. It also helps me have an overall general idea of the class's achievement. Moreover, pad-lets could be used after every activity done in class so that students could anonymously give their own opinions about the activity, both positive and negative.