Growing up in a village in North Lebanon has given me the chance to immerse myself in nature and grow with it. At that time, nature was taken for granted. Children my age were directed to pursue career possibilities and life paths away from the natural world.
I left the village to attend college in Beirut, where I graduated with a BA in communication Arts emphasis Drama. After having worked for a while in theater, I took a teaching position as a drama teacher in Hariri III School.
Having been close to young children brought me closer to my own childhood experiences and triggered my need to delve into the world of childhood education. This led me to pursue a teaching diploma in AUB, and then a Masters degree in Drama in Education from Trinity College in Dublin.
My main motivation has always been to create authentic learning environments for children to thrive in. I was exposed to the concept of forest schools when I was doing research for my dissertation, and being a teacher in a forest school quickly became a dream.
I taught at Al Ahliah School, Wellspring Learning Community, and the American Community School. Teaching in ACS exposed me to the Reggio Emilia approach in which I learned to set up the atelier in my classroom as a context through which the children use artistic languages to express themselves in their own way.
Bringing nature and the classroom atelier into a dialogue was one of the most inspiring experiences I’ve ever witnessed in my teaching career.
After having taught at ACS for 6 years, I learned about the first forest school in Lebanon, Horshna. I joined Horshna’s beautiful team and I am very thrilled to embark on a learning journey in the forest.
As I think about my teaching experience, I value and understand the great impact that learners, teachers, and children make on each other’s lives. I am a strong proponent of the approaches to teaching that address the child’s learning and growth holistically. I endeavor to grow into an inspiring model for the children in seeking connection and understanding our role as human beings to make the world a better place.