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Episode 1- Amina Zouhri

Added Mar 01, 2021 •

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Sr. Amina Zouhri experienced Al-Iman School both as a student and as a teacher. We explore both perspectives and how being a teacher has impacted her life as she was impacting those of her students.

Show Transcript

assalamualaikum my name is Rosie said I'm graduating med school and will be hosting this podcast to the school this is our first episode and we'll be trying to bring topics of interest for a community of parents students teachers and anyone interested in following the school I'll be calling this podcast unsung heroes wear the ideas to bring to light those people who have a huge impact on the school and its products the students these are people doing the work to events division of the school and prepare students to gain strong confidence in their identity love skills to contribute and leave the community we have a person who's been connected to a man for a long time being an alumni and a teacher herself sister I mean as a hoodie I can plan song Heroes well can you tell us a little bit about yourself yeah I do like you just said my name is any necessity I currently teach six through eight studies at Lehman school as well as one section of 7th grade ELA or teaching which is Bonkers to me it's crazy third grade for 6 years and then transition to the do school last year and yeah what grade did you answer every month school as a student and how did your parents consider enrolling I went to a demon when I was in fifth grade still 58 I was there why did my parents consider so I went to Sonic entire life I was born and raised in Durham and they had an atomic school at that time so I went there from kindergarten up to 4th grade and then my dad actually got hired at any Man 2 transitions there so I went from 50 Days Grace oh nice so you went till 8th grade for him out of school and afterwards obviously high school and college how do you feel evvie I'm prepared you for that whole experience that's a good one how do I feel a demon prepared me I think I could definitely and prepared me really well super hard back in the day like teaching now like y'all we're so much easier than when I went to school there but that's because it was still like that super traditional like form of teaching where are you like has a lot of work she needs to and memorizing stuff and it was just a lot more rigorous so I could definitely ice they prepared me really well and turn those in terms of like going into a non-muslim environment which of course like my high school was for me to have a strong Foundation of my Muslim identity and who I was I'm not I'm not going to 100% give that Teddy Amanda like my parents definitely instilled that enough but then sort of going through Middle School especially surrounded by other Muslims I was confident going into anonymous of environment and like holding onto my face my identity and all of that stuff especially when I like I went to school in Durham for high school and none of my classmates that lets me so I was just by myself so you didn't have those other people treated like Lean On A Feeling not like if I make identity. started us off with and then a regular bracelet academic curriculum that we have to follow nice does a combination of your parents in an environment so what was the incentive for you to go into teaching cuz you're you're teaching there now so what's the incentive to go into teaching and why back to any month specifically like a materialistic incentive there's none and you know that like first of all teaching teachers don't get paid anything and then North Carolina drink does like one of the worst I'm not going to lie and be like the money the deadly wasn't but I yeah I actually went into college with a creep like a pre-dental send set of my really because in high school we have to do those career quizzes or whatever and it supposed to tell you like what you should be good at but instead I was looking at like what's going to make you the most money orthodontist that I took biochemistry in like wanted not because it was difficult I don't want you to think I'm like not intelligent I think I sort of am but because I couldn't imagine myself doing that for the rest of my life nope not doing this and I've always loved the kids and so yeah I applied for the school bed and got in and then I just realized it was my calling some kind of Law and then in terms of what my incentive to going back to 89 was was you being rude to me in like I'm not going to sugarcoat it she find out I was when I was in school for teaching I think I literally like I was praying who at the Raleigh Masjid one time and she like zeroed in on me it's on me and she was like I'm good thanks she's like come on like The Bullet Hole in back to your community like this for a little bit so tired yeah she's a very convinced Ellen Fisher and yeah I just I said so many times like this is my last year this my last year but it sounds easy but yeah I be yours for the kids I'm like I can't leave them where did a noble of you change from you know being a student there now you're teaching the kids that like the you seen it pretty much all the way through so how's your perspective of the school changed that's a good question I mean I say I think I was a kid like you hate school you could be our I did at least I could have been at any school really and I didn't want to be there I enjoyed learning I just I don't know like it's not cool to say that you like school up though it's just that the school is like was so draft different my class I think had 11 or like 13 people so super small we were like super separated by gender back then and I just filled it was like so much stricter and traditional like your your desks were enrolled and Rose there was no like flexibility like flexing guys that didn't exist no sew yeah and I never at that point thought that I was going to be a teacher and honestly I think that a lot of people who taught me back then if they found out her when they found out there games like her like what like I I don't think I was a good student or a kid during that time as a teacher now I tried to I tried to sort of give my students and experience that I wish beehive in school now that I had a bad one but just the one that I want them to leave with like you know what like Middle School was okay like I survived and I enjoyed that class where that discussion was really was really deep and meaningful or I can apply what I just learned in class to outside world after I leave like the Eddy man bubble that kind of stuff cool song how is Calvados affected your teaching style or like your job in general and all that cuz obviously teachers specifically it's gotten more difficult to like adapt to the online teaching and so you know how is that a lot it's a completely different world I remember last March which is the final us going to be a year almost which is crazy feeling like really really sad because tell me like the four walls of my classroom where a safe space like not only for me but I think one for my kids hopefully as well and I'm leaving and going home and teachers from behind the screen took away the experience of sharing that same space even though like yes I'm seeing them and they're seeing me but that connection is lost so I like I hated it in the beginning I'm still not a huge fan right now but I'll be I understand that you know our safety and health concerns like that's super important but this the screen barrier it's more than just me on one side and someone on the other side it prohibit a connection not. Us as teachers you rely on so much with our students and you like it's very apparent when some kids do really well and Virtual DJ most kids because they need that connection with someone I can't go and walk up to Loblaws desk and help them or you know I see this person in the hallway and I asked them like how their day is going it's just class turn off Zoom class turn off gym class turn off View that's not what school is yeah for sure you just also like you talking a lot about how you care for your students and stuff how do you try to build relationships with them you know and act like a cool teacher that's my number one goal in life just kidding I think that if you don't have a relationship with your students then no matter what you try to teach them it's not going to be important irrelevant like they just it's whatever but you do have a relationship you you could potentially be talking about the most boring thing ever but because they have that respect and not connection with you they're going to listen in order to form that though I think that you have to take the time to care about people so you find out your student interest you find out about their family members their name whether they had a soccer game on Saturday if they watch football in like who they root for where you know like the little things that are actually big things and so that way once you went to get a kid and they get you that trust has developed and when something good happens Furniture it with you but also if they're not feeling okay they're going to share it with you as well because that trust has been established and I and I just think that like social emotional learning is so much more important than any type of text book where academic piece of paper that they're going to get out of school so then I'm not know from your experience as a teacher what are some of the common challenges you see students coming in with you know I'll like from you know I've been transferring from fifth grade public to any man or you know anything else you can think of I think that lamented go through stuff that other kids go through I know I don't know if necessarily like our students go through anything special or particular I think it might be on a smaller scale maybe because many of our it is their sheltered but I would say I'm things ideas is big one whether it is pressure to do well in school or like social anxiety even though a lot of these kids are our kids like grown up together from kindergarten up until 8th grade people change and so someone you might have been best friends with his third grade and sixth grade you realize that like if you don't really like the same things anymore or whatever and so do you still stay friends with that person your classes of 20 people you know them you going to have to interact what else disorganization yeah but I just think that identity is a big one like who am I can I be can I be Muslim as well as an American as well as the Egyptian as well as whatever like juggling the different identities and sort of kind of wrap around like who they are but I think that I said that kids and let them know that it's okay to be multiple things and you don't have to sort of be labeled by just one thing and you have to stick with it connecting with family the big one once you get to Middle School like I'm sure you know you've been through this or people that you you went to school with like your parents aren't cool anymore and trying to figure out that balance between you don't understand but like they're my parents and they love me and who do I have to talk to like hard Middle School is in very very difficult time and I just think that they just need a break so I think that was one of the main reasons I moved from Elementary to Middle beside if I wanted to be an elementary school counselor or middle school counselors and like let me get experience in both and yeah Evelyn scared of middle school but I'm like guys are just big teddy bears. Like smell weird and just need a hug sometime this third grade I know I don't have a preference they're just so different like there are times I remember last year when I was teaching and I'm like you guys are the same question that third graders do you're just taller and you yeah that said you have a deeper voice like that's literally I don't understand what's happening and what was funny was that for so many people I taught them in third grade and then I was see them again in middle school and I'm like you haven't changed that you just a biological changes but you're still the same exact student I love both I'm really really enjoy Middle School though surprising to me more stations it's not so much it's not so much teaching like with third grade you're sort of like molding them into who they're going to be but with middle schoolers do you like they have their own opinions until it's a lot more back and forth and like we've been debates so much and social studies which ivy enjoyed so I'm not really trying to have students develop their own opinion just wanted to have their own opinion and giving them the space to share it back it up sometimes calling them out when their opinions are ridiculous but like that kind of stuff so then we got a lot of I think parents that are watching this to get a better idea of whether they should enroll their kids in any manner not so what advice would you say that parents debating whether or not to enroll them in speaking from your experience as a student teacher the benefits their kids will get you know just people that need an extra push I the first thing I will say is that any man is not going to how do I wear this okay maybe saying like the stole the sole responsibility of forming your child Muslim identity does not fallen and Iman School however it can be a very big part of that and so it's important that teachers parents and students all work together in order to maintain and grow a Muslim and Eddie and it can't fall on just one of the three it has to be all three working together so if it's happening on school and then it's reinforced at home and then the student realizes that. Like triangle or Circle or whatever working together I think that that will create a strong Foundation I'm assuming most people put their kids in a sound like school now because of the amazing math class or whatever it's because they want their their kid to be around other Muslims and to learn about their DNA to grow it to progress and then 2 to share their time with like-minded and they religion. Right and so if you are the about coming in and you want that type of environment I think it's a good place to be I do think that it needs to be supplemented with whatever is coming from from Hope because at a certain point our students are going to leave a demon school and they stay need that reinforcements into where is it going to come from so how about the people that are thinking like okay my my my kid is in 5th grade I want to put them in any man but I don't know if I should be with Midway cuz you know not all of the students come in first grade and kindergarten so is any man you know prepared or will they receive the same effects if they come in Midway and look the sixth fifth grade what do you think I think though every student is different in the way that they fit into a classroom are greater whatever just depends on the experiences that they bring with them so it's obviously going to I think take a little bit more time to adjust to a new environment as an older student then if you started when you were younger but I don't think that that should scare anyone away from bringing their child in at an older age honestly I think that bring them in when they're older is a good idea because that's when exposure happens and so wouldn't you want exposure to occur within a safe environment and then like all out there yeah I hope that's an okay answer okay so for my last question could you please rank your classes least favorite to favorite favorite or favourite everyone we can't do like top three and if people don't make it like a gay top three first first class as you guys were my first class I was 21 years old car that's so crazy and there are 24 of you and your squishies in one classroom yeah I don't. Just will forever like stay with me I'm really sad I didn't get to teach you guys twice actually yeah for sure favorite class second favorite class so I'm teaching the 7th graders currently but they're my second favorite because they were my first grade that I taught those times and I really enjoyed them in third grade but also now as middle schoolers I really enjoy them and then I would say third are the current 8th graders I was like R&B real I was warned about them last year 7th graders like the and general doesn't matter who you are like you're from Lake jahannam are about to say that but like all 7th graders are horrible but I really know what I would have horrible seventh-grader like it doesn't matter who you are in 7th grade it's like cursed or something so anyways I had the last year and they were awesome everyone else complained for the most part but I just felt like I related to them so much and love them to death and now he teaches eighth-grade and really sad that there last year is it cold in here and it stinks but yeah I think I enjoyed every year that I've talked to has it been one that I'm like oh my God I'm quitting PJ no but yeah there are there are some great that just pop out at you they sound like what you're going through and and the memories that you're going to hold onto forever but also the impact that like then she tight on me like I remember them forever I just say that whenever I get married everyone is invited so that's still standing I should probably stop teaching soon so that more people don't get invited they already are invited to my future wedding whatever that on the first podcast of unsung anyone who is trying to listen to Future ones you can go all our Instagram at any moment School NC Facebook attending minecr and if you go to the website any man school.org you can text the podcast tab in there will there be a link for all of them there and the semi and I wish you the best in your future inshallah in Arabic

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Episode 1- Amina Zouhri

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