Teacher Stories: Rima Younes, Lebanon

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. 

Towards Better Education: Lessons Learned from COVID 19

Name: Rima Younes

Role: Lecturer and Teacher Trainer 

School: Lebanese University and the Islamic University of Lebanon 

Location: Lebanon

Bio: Rima is a PhD candidate. Her research focuses on cultural aspects of teaching the French Language in Lebanon. She is the head of the Lebanese Charitable Association for Education and Cultural Reform. She is a lecturer at the linguistics department at the Lebanese University and the Islamic University. Rima is a teacher-trainer; she works with secondary education teachers. She is an education specialist and worked on issues related to school drop outs with The Center for Educational Research and Development. Rima is specialised in French language education and she completed various courses in Franche Comté in France. She has various publications on inclusive education. 

I have over 20 years of experience in the field of Education. I started as a primary school teacher, then moved to secondary education and now I am a lecturer at the university. I have moved between teaching, coordination and supervision. What made me engage with the field of education? At the beginning I did not have a clear idea, like any one in the society I loved my teachers and I believed that teaching is a key profession and as a child I always played the role of the teacher. As I grew older, I wanted teaching to be a life long project, not only a career. A life project where I can implement many ideas and improve my community. So I joined the department of Education at the university to base my work in the field of education on solid grounds. So I completed my undergraduate degree in education and followed that with a Masters degree. Being an educator, I faced many challenges. When I was a school teacher, I did not have a mentor or a role model for guidance. I realised I need to navigate being a teacher on my own, so I took various training courses and developed my knowledge and skills based on personal initiatives. Currently, and after so many years working in education, I still face various challenges, mainly working in a team where some educators consider teaching as a job rather than a mission for change and growth. Hence, in our societies I feel that the perceptions of the teachers to education as a profession is limited and limiting. I believe that teachers are agents for change and we need to work together and coordinate accordingly. Teachers are a powerful force where we can network and push for positive change in our communities as well as developing our own knowledge and skills. Based on this understanding, I work with the teachers so that they can see and appreciate the diversity in their classroom, how they can see their learners as a source of knowledge and information and how they can work together rather than considering teaching as a profession where knowledge moves in one direction. I believe that I succeeded in doing so with many teachers, however we still need so much work. 

With the start of the COVID 19 pandemic, we were all forced to completely change our way of work, moving to online teaching and learning caused a state of panic and chaos. For the first two months we were trying to figure out what works best. For me I found this an opportunity rather than a challenge as I realised how much knowledge and skills I can build along with my team. The main thing we thought of was the well-being of the students. We asked ourselves, how do we ensure interactive teaching and learning and continuous human connectivity while our students are not in the same space as us. This project was a space for us to communicate and reflect with other educators from various institutions and backgrounds and realise that we all face similar challenges, that we are all under the impact of the initial COVID 19 shock and trying to stay afloat. Based on this, we started the ethnographic research in schools, an experience that was an eye opener, where we were able to see the full picture by interviewing teachers, parents and students, engage and listen to identify key problems and solutions that come from those key actors. The hours we spent researching, thinking collectively and reflecting was an enriching experience, especially with colleagues who work in different environments. One of the main issues we identified is the shattering of the perception that teachers only work when they are being watched in school! When we all moved online, teachers worked at least twice as hard to ensure the continuation of the education process and that was inspiring. Through this project and the analysis of the date, we realised that the best way for teaching and learning is the utilisation of blended approaches, as it gives a great level of flexibility, yet we are connected physically to our students and colleagues. I really enjoyed the experience in this project, we felt we were trainees and trainers at the same time, there was high levels of respect and collaboration and that gave me the sense that this is a project which has a long term impact. 

Lastly, I would like to say that through this project I felt that teachers were given the appreciation they deserve. As I mentioned before, teachers in Lebanon work in very difficult conditions, with lack of electricity and internet connection. They deal with extremely difficult social and economic crises where they struggle to make ends meet, yet they have been able to work with students, parents and school administrations and give their best. What teachers need is that level of real appreciation particularly from school administrations, teachers’ role and agency and ability to make positive change need to be highlighted, considered and celebrated.

The views expressed in this blog are the author's own.