It all started in 2007, two years after graduation from the Faculty of Chemistry Science at Baghdad University (a well-known University with high standards) where I was ranked the 8th on my batch.
Being a mom of two infants at nearly the same age is not an easy task at all, however, I decided to start my carrier in teaching Chemistry. Furthermore, I was a new resident in Doha, so the first attempt was to a nearby school about 10 minutes by driving from my house named Amna Bint Wahab Secondary School for girls. After a rapidly arranged interview, I was accepted, but the position was for a Chemistry teacher assistant, as that was the only vacant position at this school and because I don’t have the experience I have to be an assistant.
First of all, I was disappointed, because I wanted to become a Chemistry teacher to have my impact on my students, to be the one who plants different seeds of knowledge in their minds.
Tough decisions make you stronger!
As being in the practical field for the first time, it was time that I had to work very hard to improve myself and meet the school expectations.
Fortunately, I was able to inspire them through my passion for teaching Chemistry, and my positive impact on students.
I worked very hard as a chemistry assistant teacher in the spirit of a chemistry teacher, where I have arranged many interactive lessons, practical experiments, student engaged technology, and virtual labs. My aim was not only to teach the students chemistry as a lesson but also to implant the love of it in their hearts.
The great moments for me were when I see the interaction of the students with the lesson and when the whole class raises their hands to answer my questions.
At the end of the academic year 2008, I felt, and the other school staff felt the success that I achieved. As a result, I was upgraded to be the “Chemistry Coordinator” of the school!!.
For me, the title “Chemistry Coordinator” was not that much important than having a significant impact on all the Chemistry classes.
Strong goals make you stronger!
I always have my clear vision and values that do not change with life changes. I believe that I am leading a team where all my actions will be reflected on it. Therefore; my goal was to make students enjoy learning Chemistry instead of studying it just to pass the exam and get marks. Keeping in mind that Chemistry is an essential part of science and that it is implemented in our daily life.
Forward driven events
I used to tell my students my life story, where I have faced a lot during the war in Iraq. I was obliged to leave my mother country “Iraq” without prior notice. I did not even have enough time to pack my clothes, house stuff, and furniture. The only things that were a must to take were my passport, educational documents, and graduation certificates. For me, my graduation certificate is considered as a weapon that makes me safe where ever I go on this planet.
The first lesson of each academic year
I used to start my first lesson of each academic year by asking my students:
-What is your “Golden Goal” of the year? and
-Where do you see yourself after 10 years from now?
By this, I teach them to put their big goals and divide them into actions that always require hard work and most importantly trusting their abilities.
Care and Support are crucial factors to let people succeed
One day, one of my students requested me to sit with her during the break time to revise Chemistry topics before the date of the Exit exam held by the Ministry of Education. I accepted with pleasure, although I was very busy at that time. During our meetings, I realized that she has memorized and understood everything perfectly and that I did not have much to do. Despite that, I sat with her every day, listened to her carefully, and encouraged her by telling her that she was doing a great job. In the end, the girl was ranked the first on her batch and got a scholarship to study Medicine. The lesson is that care and support are the keys to success.
Seeking a big challenge with a great impact
Ten years passed in this amazing school.
Ten years where I had the responsibility to learn, teach and add to my team.
In order to deliver the highest quality of education to the students, you need to stay updated with the best teaching strategies and using different teaching styles to cope with a century filled with technology and creativity.
Meanwhile, my work at the school had become a sort of routine with little additions to the place, therefore; I had decided to step forward and start a new challenge.
My new journey
I have decided to change my carrier to an extent that is not that far from the education field. As I used to tell the people around me “I was born to be a teacher”.
With my new position, I have become a teacher that affects a significantly large number of student’s “Fellows”.
Yes, my fellows. I have got the honor to be employed as a “Program Manager and Teacher Trainer “in one of the best educational organizations in Qatar “Teach for Qatar”, where I have the opportunity to train the fresh graduates and those who do not have any educational background to become teachers in the Qatari government schools. It is a great responsibility and challenge.
My Fellow is a leader inside the classroom and in the whole school as well.
A leader with an impact should have a clear personal vision in life and a clear vision for their students.
I and my team have specific core values that we believe are the primary source of success. We aim to pass these values to the co-teachers and students as well.
One of the most important values that I believe in is that the wellbeing of the teachers is equally important to that of the students if not even more, which means that when teachers are well treated and appreciated, they will give all the best to their students.
From that point, I focused more on emotional intelligence elements, which I consider as the keystone that each leader needs to have, trying to provide a suitable environment where all our fellows could have the opportunity to implement emotional intelligence and work on it. This could be adopted by satisfying all the teacher’s needs and preserving his honor place in the eye and heart of all the people around him.
The term leader does not mean the heads of places or those with high responsibilities only. In our vision, all individuals are leaders in the place they work in, they present leadership by their actions, and the same is applied to students and kids who are leaders in where they are. From here it comes to our responsibility to guide them to be the best future individuals to rule the world!
One of the advice that I have learned from my inspirational leader “My Father” is that:
“Always believe that you can learn, add more, and give the most. It does not only belong to you; it belongs to all those who are around you, those who can benefit from it in their lives and the lives of other people around them.”
Tough times make you stronger
During the past year 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has filled our lives with negative thoughts, stress, imaginations that nothing could be done with the lockdown and that the earth has stopped rotating anymore, but the opposite has occurred. Our organization leader, the CPO, called for an urgent meeting and told us that this pandemic will not make us step back from giving what we used to give before. The educational wheel would never stop under any circumstances. And surely, we continued our educational mission through virtual meetings and lessons throughout the stressful pandemic period.
I believe that I have a huge responsibility in life, which is being a “Teacher”. And by now, I can proudly say that 2020 despite the pandemic and lockdown was full of challenges. 2020 page was filled with many more great achievements than the previous years.
I trust that after 20 years; our history books will mention the 2020 pandemic positive aspects, where it will be written that education did not stop and proudly, we the educators had the responsibility of not making it stop.
Today, I am a better person than yesterday, and there are still more dreams for tomorrow.
My dream is to develop the educational system by guiding transformational leaders and pass this idea through different generations for the benefit of each individual on this planet.
That was my story
Wasan Yousif Alani
Science Program Manager – Teach for Qatar
To define me in six words:
I am Honesty, Energy, Satisfaction, Respect, Success, Humility.
Experience:
- Science Program Manager
- Teacher Trainer & Mentor
- Certified MBTI Trainer
- Certified Life Skill Coach
My hobbies and interest:
Reading, Writing, Working out
My social media links:
LinkedIn: Wasan Yousif Al-Ani / https://www.linkedin.com/in/wasan-yousif-al-ani-02193a82/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/w.yalani/
Twitter: @WasanalaniWasan
My giveaway message to each reader is:
– Opportunities come once in life.
– For you to lead and put steps for a brighter future, you should have your own vision and never stop learning.
– Always ask yourself why I am doing this and to which degree it will have an impact on me and the others.
-Learn different skills and add them to your basket, this will make you close to the world’s opportunities.
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