Queen Rania Award a ‘motivation’ for striving teachers

AMMAN — In a public school environment and a community that are “less than supportive”, rewarding a teacher’s effort goes a long way, long-time teacher Rajaa Khatib said.

Since she won the Queen Rania Award for Excellence in Education in 2014, Khatib’s teaching style has transformed, now based on a less teacher-dominant, 21st century oriented classroom.

Scholarship opportunities, continuous improvement lectures, workshops and voluntary work experiences provided by the award’s association have “opened new horizons” for the English teacher, who is starting her master’s soon, she said.

Launched in 2005 by Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania in partnership with the Education Ministry, the Teacher Award seeks to “set a national standard of excellence in teaching” and to “celebrate, encourage and honour those who reach it”.

 “An excelling teacher is always modernising and renewing,” said 12-year teacher Fadia Ibrahim, another awardee who described herself as “untraditional” when it comes to her teaching style.

The award is a chance for teachers to evaluate their personal performance and find out what they are doing wrong, Ibrahim said, noting that this is a “vital” step for everyone to take regularly to achieve success.

Also an English teacher, Ibrahim said her subject seems to “scare parents” who find it difficult to teach their children at home something that is not really a part of their daily lives. It is therefore up to her to find new ways to incorporate the language in her students’ lives inside the classroom.

Motivation provided by the Queen Rania Award is very valuable for Ibrahim in her “high pressure” field. She added that her secret is “faith in my role in building society”.

While the award and motivation filled her with a sense of “pride and responsibility” towards her community, Ibrahim believes she can do more to improve the education experience for students.

Although the award committee is always organising events and workshops for the awardees, the Ministry of Education is not taking advantage of the “treasure” of distinguished teachers around the Kingdom, she stated.

With four awarded teachers in her Princess Rahma school, Abeer Tahboob said both students and their parents have gained more confidence in the school’s ability. With support from the school’s management, even technology has taken back seat compared to “a teacher who is willing to give”.

Tahboob, who is also an award-winning teacher herself, believes that recognition is a motivation to work harder, as the community is always looking up to the winners in order to see their next achievement.