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This episode of The Journey of an Arabic Educator features Maria Kouli and Rima Mekdashi, Arabic educators at the Elizabeth Learning Center in the US. Their stories highlight the power of innovation within the community of Arabic education. When they first arrived in the United States, both had little experience teaching Arabic and were tasked with building their curriculums from scratch. With limited resources, they turned to the Arabic educator community. By embracing creative approaches and sharing their successes, they’ve inspired educators across the US to explore new ways of teaching. Through the community, Maria and Rima not only learned from others but also shared their insights, refining their teaching methods, and developing innovative strategies. Their contributions reshaped their classrooms and helped push the boundaries of Arabic education. This led to national recognition and an invitation to present at ACTFL 2024, where they discussed adapting teaching methods for different learning styles and incorporating online activities and diverse resources into lessons to keep students engaged. QFI is proud to support Maria and Rima as they continue to pioneer new teaching methods, strengthening the educator community and advancing Arabic language education.
Join Samira Dani, a World Language Educator at Earls High School in the UK, as she shares her journey teaching Arabic and reflects on the challenges facing educators in the Arabic language community today. Samira teaches French, Spanish, and Arabic and she is also an examiner for Arabic GCSE/IGCSE/A Level with Pearson Edexcel and an assistant examiner for Arabic IGCSE with Cambridge. Over the years, Samira has earned several certifications, which have helped her grow professionally. In this video, she discusses the importance of building networks, joining Arabic Teacher Councils, and encouraging fellow educators to pursue Arabic qualifications and certifications to advance in their careers. Samira hopes to inspire others to represent their schools, communities, and themselves with pride and professionalism. The more qualified educators there are, the more the Arabic language will thrive across the UK! The Journey of an Arabic Educator series celebrates the dedication and hard work of those advancing Arabic language education. This series honors their commitment, challenges, and successes, highlighting their essential role in contributing to the future of Arabic teaching.
The second installment of The Journey of an Arabic Educator series focuses on Heather Sweetser, Senior Lecturer at the University of New Mexico, whose dedication to teaching Arabic and mentoring the next generation of Arabic educators has shaped the field. In this video, Heather shares her journey—how she overcame the unique challenges of teaching Arabic and continues to inspire her students and colleagues. She is very focused on connecting with fellow Arabic language educators and engaging with the community to answer common questions and find solutions. As an educator, she also emphasizes the importance of intercultural competence and pragmatics being taught alongside the language itself to build bridges through language interactions. Her story reflects the impact that passionate educators have on students, communities, and the future of the Arabic language. The Journey of an Arabic Educator series celebrates the dedication and hard work of those advancing Arabic language education. This series honors their commitment, challenges, and successes, highlighting their essential role in contributing to the future of Arabic teaching.
Today's edition of The Journey of an Arabic Educator highlights Sara Mallo and Manal Mahjoub, friends and educators at Liverpool Life Sciences UTC in the UK, who co-founded their local Arabic Teacher Council (ATC). In this video, Sara and Manal share how they met at their school and began connecting with other Arabic language educators, leading to the creation of the Liverpool ATC. They discuss the importance of building networks to support teacher training, share best practices, and foster community engagement. QFI is proud to support Sara and Manal on this inspiring journey as they work to build a stronger community for Arabic educators. After noticing the lack of a strong network for Arabic teachers, they took action, creating branding, a website, and marketing materials, and reaching out to both Arabic and non-Arabic-speaking teachers passionate about supporting the community. Their efforts led to the success of the first ATC conference last May, along with a series of educational workshops, a growing Arabic language book library, and Arabic Week celebrations. During Arabic Week, students engage in immersive activities that help them practice and deepen their Arabic language skills, allowing both heritage speakers and newcomers to strengthen their connection to the language.
In the newest edition of The Journey of an Arabic Educator, Bayan Naamani, an educator at the Elizabeth Learning Center in the US, shares the challenges many Arabic teachers face, including adapting to a new educational system, navigating limited resources, and motivating students to embrace the Arabic language. She also discusses how she overcame these obstacles through perseverance and passion for teaching. Bayan shares her journey of coming to the US from Lebanon and adjusting to a new country and career. Inspired by volunteering in her son’s classroom, she pursued her teaching credentials and became an educator. Starting with no formal teaching experience in the US, she had to build everything from the ground up. Her resilience and commitment to education helped her adapt to a completely new environment. She greatly enjoys teaching Arabic and believes children in America need extra support to maintain the language. Bayan also addresses the lack of resources and support she faced early in her career. Despite these challenges, she sought out solutions and connected with other educators to improve her practice. Over time, she became a thought leader in the Arabic education community, presenting strategies at the #ACTFL2024 conference to increase students' output in Arabic. Her journey from overcoming obstacles to sharing her expertise at national conferences highlights her growth as a leader. Her story demonstrates the powerful impact passionate educators have on students, communities, and the future of the Arabic language. The Journey of an Arabic Educator series celebrates educators advancing Arabic language teaching. It honors their commitment, challenges, and triumphs, highlighting their role in shaping the future of Arabic education. QFI is proud to support Bayan in her journey and her contributions to the Arabic teaching community.
