Teacher Stories: Wafaa Mohammad - Damietta, Egypt
This story was collected as part of Teachers in Crisis Contexts (TiCC) Event Series to ensure that the voices and experiences of teachers working in crisis and displacement permeate all aspects of the event. For more stories, click here.
Teacher professional development in Egypt
Name: Wafaa Mohammad Reza Radi
Role: Teacher
Location: Damietta, Egypt
Wafaa graduated from Damascus University Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Department of Arabic Language more than 15 years ago. She then started working as a teacher in several schools in Damascus. At the outset of the Syrian crisis in her country, Wafaa sought refuge in Egypt, and she had the opportunity to teach, primary, preparatory and secondary levels in a number of Syrian-led learning centers. Wafaa believes strongly in the power and importance of education which is increasing day by day, especially considering the unstable circumstances Arab societies and children are exposed to. Education is the blood of life, because it offers children knowledge on the risks they are exposed to which empowers them to become more resilient.
As much as Wafaa is passionate and enjoys her work, she expressed some of the challenges that accompany teaching; “as a teacher my main challenges are to maintain and support students’ mental, physical and social health as well as provide them with the scientific knowledge to be able to protect them from the risks they may be exposed to. Additionally, fostering a safe learning environment protecting children facing critical conditions during crises and disasters is sometimes challenging”.
Wafaa is looking for professional development support in teaching methods and trainings to develop her own and her fellow teachers’ educational skills to increase access to quality and safe education in conflict situations. She finally wants to enrich the educational content in order to contribute to her students’ positive growth and stimulate them socially and intellectually by integrating practical activities. Wafaa elaborated that she wants to “learn more about improving and developing the curriculum and lesson planning, refining my professional skills and developing my teaching methods through the exchange of knowledge and educational experiences. Organized learning processes contribute to building an educated and conscious society which develops the future generations and leads the country as a whole towards resilience, excellence and creativity”.
The views expressed in this blog are the author's own.