Preparing Inspirational and Innovative Individuals in Our Lives

With the widespread use of English online and in various industries, as well as the ease with which English resources can be found, teaching children Arabic has become a point of interest for start-ups and governments alike. A number of applications, websites, social media accounts, as educational and entertainment government initiatives have been launched to address this lack in Arabic educational resources. Dr. Hanada Taha-Tamir finds, however, that the foundational issue lies in properly equipped and supported Arabic teachers. Here she discusses how to prepare capable educators, delving into the requirements of their education and selection so they may provide the best practical outcomes for students and their interaction, understanding, and connection to the Arabic language.

The grave importance of producing well prepared Arabic language teachers:

How do we reverse this frightening phenomenon of educational systems filled with poorly skilled, low-motivated teachers into inspiring teachers? I think that solutions are very much possible and attainable, and that preparing teachers who are inspired and proficient in their respective fields, especially the Arabic language, is very possible and quite important.

The importance of preparing excellent teachers in the Arabic language far outweighs the importance of preparing engineers and doctors. Only a bad teacher can break a child’s heart and ruin his appetite for knowledge. Only a bad teacher could make children and young adults hate the Arabic language, its culture, its symbols, and its spirit. He who hates his language, his culture, and the spirit of his language is a self-hater, and a self-hater is a ticking time bomb. The result is that children of the Arabic language fall into the arms of other languages ​​that love them, do not make fun of them, and do not make them feel that mastering them is impossible. Children never forget, nor forgive. They may be silent, but they will never forget.

What can we do?

Preparing a good teacher takes ‘an entire village’, just as raising children needs ‘an entire village’. How could we do that? Let us go over the following steps:

1) Pre-preparation of the Arabic language teacher
2) During the preparation of the Arabic language teacher
3) After preparation of the Arabic language teacher

“We do not have much time or resources to waste year after year, on producing new generations that do not master their language, do not have the skills of thinking, problem-solving, reasoning, nor high-end communication capable of choosing the right word for the right context.”

Good and inspiring teachers are heroes of our children’s childhood and youth. Good and bad teachers alike have “a footprint that is seen and does not vanish with time”. So the right question is what kind of footprint would we like to see?

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Written by Dr. Hanada Taha-Thomure
Image: CC
Publication date: March 16, 2022

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