Aqaba Teachers: Stories of Dedication Written Daily on Classroom Seats
Amman5 min read
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On the 5th of October every year, the world celebrates Teacher's Day, but in schools, the story of a teacher is not limited to one day or a fleeting occasion; behind every class, there is a story of dedication, and behind every successful student, there is a teacher who believed in their abilities, and behind every educated generation, there is a teacher who left their mark in building their personality and honing their skills.
In Aqaba, this story is embodied daily within the classroom, where teachers continue to fulfill their mission amidst variables and challenges that are no longer limited to delivering the curriculum, but also include dealing with a new generation, understanding their needs, keeping up with technology, and enhancing motivation towards learning, alongside the educational and humanitarian role that accompanies the student within and outside the school.
The educational scene in Aqaba highlights models of teachers who view education as a mission that goes beyond the limits of the textbook and reaches the building of the human being and the creation of hope, among them are the teachers Reham Bani Younis, Hanadi Al-Rabi'a, Sarah Amer, and the teacher Ayham Al-Amri.
Teacher Reham Bani Younis presents a model of a teacher who views education as a humanitarian mission, as the teacher, in her view, is not satisfied with providing information, but rather seeks to reach the student, understand their needs, and help them discover their strengths.
Reham believes that the most beautiful thing a teacher can harvest is not just the success of students in exams, but seeing a student who faced learning difficulties and begins to progress and gain confidence in themselves, emphasizing that the relationship between the teacher and the student is based on respect and trust, and that a positive word and encouragement can often be a turning point in the student's life.
Reham recalls on this occasion the visit of His Majesty King Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al-Abdullah to one of the schools in Aqaba, considering that the visit carried a deep message of appreciation for the teacher and the educational process, and left an impact on the hearts of teachers and students.
Reham says: «The visit of His Majesty King Abdullah II to the school was an exceptional moment that left a significant impact on us, and during which we felt that the teacher is given a special status, and that our mission in education is appreciated and valued».
She adds that the attention His Majesty paid to the teacher during the visit represents, for her, a message to all those working in the educational field that what they provide in the classroom is not just daily work, but a real contribution to building the human being and the nation.
She emphasizes that such visits give teachers a morale boost to continue giving, and remind them that the impact of the teacher is not only measured by what the student achieves in exams, but by the impact of education on their personality and future.
As for teacher Hanadi Al-Rabi'a, she emphasizes that the educational work requires long patience and belief in the abilities of students, pointing out that the individual differences among them require the teacher to search for different ways and methods to reach each student.
She believes that the successful teacher is the one who can make the student a partner in the educational process, not just a recipient of information, and that the school should be an environment where the student feels safe, belonging, and able to express themselves.
Hanadi considers the most beautiful moments of the profession to be those in which the teacher sees the fruit of their effort after years, when they meet one of their students who has become a doctor, engineer, teacher, or successful employee, realizing that part of this success began from a classroom seat and an educational lesson.
Teacher Sarah Amer holds her own vision of the profession, starting from the belief that education is inseparable from building the human being.
According to this vision, the teacher does not only provide a textbook, but also helps the student acquire skills of thinking, dialogue, and responsibility, and gives them the confidence they need to continue on their path towards the future.
Sarah believes that the challenges facing education today require the teacher to be closer to students, keep up with modern developments, and continuously search for new methods that make education more interactive and attractive.
She emphasizes that the teacher cannot succeed in their mission without feeling that the student before them is a human being with their own personality, circumstances, and ambitions, and that dealing with these aspects is an essential part of the educational process.
Among the models highlighted by the educational field in Aqaba is teacher Ayham Al-Amri, who believes that the responsibility of the teacher has become greater in light of the rapid transformations the world is experiencing.
Al-Amri asserts that the true success of the teacher appears when they are able to discover a talent in a student, restore confidence to a student who has lost it, or open a path for a student that they had never seen before.
