Embedded Files
Who I Am
Who I Am
I am an Iraqi woman who grew up in Syria for a part of my life. I came to America when I was ten years old and had to learn a new language and adapt to what seemed like a completely new world.
When it comes to my characteristics and personality traits, patience, sensitivity, humor, respect, and faith are all a part of me. My environment has shaped my ideas and persona in many ways. My cultural background is very, very important to me- my language, religion, and customs are apart of my everyday life and they shape the way I see the world.
As an immigrant who once entered a classroom where I didn't feel understood nor did I understand anybody, I understand how diffcult it can be for children to adjust. My experience is what inspires me to teacher. I am committed to helping children who are going through the same things I went through by being a teacher that makes their life in this new world just a little easier.
What I Know
What I know and understand about the world is how different we all are and how beautiful that makes the world. Living in an Arab country showed me the importance of customs and traditions of Arabs/Muslims- people treat each other like family, greet one another with warmth with kisses on the cheeks and the kindest words such as habibi, hayati, and roohi, which translate to "my love, my life, and my soul." The soft side of me is my Iraqi/Syrian side. But I also know how cruel the world can be and that is what led me to come here. Arab countries, along with other countries, are being destroyed, which is what led many of us to immigrate.
What I can share with my classmates to help them become better teachers is to have patience and understanding for immigrant students. Customs and rules differ in every country, and children from Muslim or Arab backgrounds may not be familiar with the customs here. I want my classmates to treat immigrant students with the same love and respect they'd offer any other student.
What I can teach my students to help them become better people is kindness, empathy, and pride in their identities. I can model respect and kindness, share my experiences as an immigrant, and remind them to hold onto their language, religion, customs, and traditions. I want my students to see their background as a strength, and I want them to hold onto the love for their country.
What I Have to Learn
What I Have to Learn
In order to help all students succeed and become an effective teacher, I would like to learn more about classroom management and building positive relationships. I have shared classrooms with teachers, but I have not had my own classroom yet, and I want to create a safe, encouraging, and respectful learning environment. I plan to focus on using positive reinforcement instead of relying only on discipline.
I also want to learn how to be open to feedback and to adjust my teaching methods to meet the needs of all students. Children learn differently and at different paces, and I need to keep that in mind when planning lessons. I also know that many outside factors-- such as poverty, trauma, and language barriers-- can affect students' learning and progress, and I want to continue learning how to support students who face such challenges.
Challenging myself to grow as a person and as an educator means taking the time to truly know my students and be there for them when they need a trusted adult. Some children may only feel safe at school, which is why I'd like to learn how to create a very safe environment that gives them security and belonging. The teacher I strive to be is intelligent, caring, loving, trusted, and patient, and I will work toward that by offering each student that enters my classroom love, patience and respect. I am committed to growing alongside my students.
The Teacher I Will Become
As a student and an educator, I believe the purpose of school is not simply to be tested, but to truly learn. My philosophy of education leans toward creating a student-centered classroom, where instruction adapts to the different types of students and their unique abilities and backgrounds. The most important things my students will learn include discipline, kindness, hard work, effort, a variety of learning methods and approaches, and the confidence to ask questions and make mistakes. The lessons will come through direct instruction, and also through meaningful experiences and by witnessing these values modeled by myself and their peers.
My classroom will reflect my educational philosophies by providing a safe and inclusive learning environment where all students are encouraged to take risks, ask questions, make mistakes, and learn from both correct and incorrect answers. The types of educational experiences I will provide will encourage collaboration, build confidence, and also foster independence.
I hope my students will value the safe environment created just for them, their own voice and identity, collaboration, relationships, confidence, independence, and a love for learning. I will interact with my students with respect and care- treating them with the same respect I expect in return. Their feelings and perspectives will be taken into consideration every day. I will interact with my students with high expectations and encouragement, and through open communication- I will make sure my students know they can share concerns and ask questions without the fear of judgment. I expect my students to treat each other with kindness, respect, and understanding as well. I also want my students to feel comfortable asking one another for help, learning from peers as much as from me.
The word that would describe me as a teacher is "safe," because I am committed to creating a learning environment where each student feels safe and are excited to come back the next day. The word that describes my students is "empowered," because in a student-centered classroom, they are also responsible for their own learning progress.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1to2xYoQU7SMb-2YYzQZJaTE_8a_BXcLddyiLRxwcs7Q/edit?usp=sharing
If a visitor walked into my classroom...
The philosophy that I value most is existentialism- giving students the freedom to find themselves. Existentialism recognizes that everybody is different and, each person gets to decide what is important to them while taking responsibility for their choices and actions. In my classroom, a visitor would see flexible seating- beanbags, standing desks, learning stations, and a cozy reading corner- so students can choose what works best for them. The walls would display personal, encouraging quotes selected by students, possibly written in their native languages that resonate with them. Students will have the freedom to pick books that matter to them, and they would keep journals to track their progress, reflect on their mistakes, and write down questions they have not shared yet. In this way, freedom and responsibility are encouraged every day. Existentialism matters to me as an educator because it empowers students.
This image shows a teacher in an ESL classroom with students who are independently doing their work, reading and writing. The books are ones they personally chose. There is a list of different books in different languages on the bookshelf. On the walls, there are personal pictures and work of the students that they chose to put on the wall to make the environment more familiar to them. There are different seating options to make sure students are comfortable. Students are able to sit on the chair at the table, on a beanbag, or on the rug. The teacher is engaging with the students and making sure students are actively working. This image relates to my philosophy- existentialism, and the teacher I want to be, because it encourages freedom and independence.
AI
The AI tool I used to create my About the Author Page is ChatGPT. I used this tool to help me understand more about philosophies and figure out which one is more important to me. I also used this tool to help with organizing my paragraphs and adding certain sentences that help tie the paragraphs together and get my point across. In addition, I used this tool to look for any errors in my spelling. The exact prompt I used to generate my picture is "Can you create a cartoon image of this philosophy of education (existentialism) for an ESL classroom?"
My current thoughts on my own use of AI is that while it can be helpful, it also has the potentinal of being harmful. I do not believe we should depend entirely on AI, but only use it when needed. Our own thoughts, critical thinking, and ideas should be trusted and put first. My policy for myself is to only use it to double check my work and/or when I am completely stuck and need help beginning. When it comes to my overarching beliefs, I believe AI should not replace human judgement or creativity, and should only be used as a support tool.
Comments
If you have any particular questions about Arab backgrounds and/or working with students who come from Arab/Muslim backgrounds, please don't hesitate to ask. I am happy to answer any questions...
Hi Zainab! I really enjoyed reading your page and learning about your experiences. I can feel your passion for helping your students through the screen! I loved your ideas about flexible seating and having a journal for reflection and questions. I think we often give students journals for specific subjects, but I love the idea of giving them an all-purpose one that they can write down any thoughts in. -Krista Ronk
Hello Zainab, I also loved reading your page and learning about your past experiences. What incredible opportunities you will have to help your students by giving them freedom and responsibility for their own learning. It is extremely powerful that you want them to not only feel safe but also empowered to discover for themselves. I love that you will be building a community of equality and equity where students can grow, emotionally, academically, and personally- Kris Clayton
“Hello Zainab I really enjoyed reading your post! You made some excellent points about how important it is to carefully evaluate information before using it. I especially liked how you highlighted the role of peer review as the quality control system for academic work—it really shows why we can trust those sources more than others. You explained it in a way that was clear and easy to follow, and it made me think more about how I evaluate the sources I use for my own assignments. Great job! Alexandra Lopez
Hi Zainab, (beautiful name btw)
I really enjoyed reading your page and love to see teachers in different ethnic backgrounds. I think it's important for students to see someone who looks like them and has the same customs and traditions in a role they can see themselves in the future. It inspires them and motivates them, even when the going gets tough. Reading through some peoples "About the Author" pages made me realize a lot of us feel that we need to learn classroom management, me included. As I've never worked in a classroom setting, I'm curious to know is this something you've learned more about being in the classroom or is it one of those things you can't quite address until you're in your own space?
-Danisha White
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