Collaboration

   

One of the best things about working collaboratively with people who bring different skill sets and backgrounds to the table is learning from their experience. Collaborating with team members or even different teams should be thought of as a learning experience, and you should try to make the most of it.

   This means asking for feedback and opinions, sharing knowledge, finding out how your collaborators approach their side of the project, and gaining a better sense of how they work. Learning from colleagues is not just a benefit of collaboration, it’s the first step towards building a workplace culture centered around learning and development.

(Moseley, 2019)

Quote 21

 “None of us is as smart as all of us.”

- Ken Blanchard

Quote 20

 “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

- Helen Keller

الأطفال

 

الأطفال نعمة ورحمة من الله

النظر إليهم ومراقبتهم تُذهب أحزاننا

غمرهم ومُداعبتهم تُنعش قلوبنا

كم هم ضعفاء وكم لديهم القدرة على تعديل مزاجنا

كم هم أنقياء في وسط هذا العالم الذي يعجّ بالفساد

يا رب لا تحرمنا من وجودهم حولنا!

 

فاطمة سليمان

Quote 19

 “Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven.”

- Henry Ward Beecher, reverend and social activist

Quote 18

 “Only where children gather, is there any real chance of fun.”

- Mignon McLaughlin, journalist and author

Golden Mean

Aristotle believed that the person who follows a true purpose leads a life of moderation, avoiding extremes. There are two Aristotelian extremes: the extreme of too little and the extreme of too much.

Such as, in terms of eating; if one eats too much, one will suffer from obesity, lack of energy, poor health in general, or death. The moderate man or woman -the thinking person- avoids such excesses. For Aristotle, the proper perspective is the Golden Mean, a path between extremes.

Aristotle believed that a good education helps achieve the Golden Mean and thereby promotes the harmony and balance of both mind and body. For example, a good teacher is friendly with his/her students but at the same time has clear rules and limits.

For Aristotle, humans are rational creatures fulfilling their purpose when they think, and thinking is their highest characteristic. This is equal to what Islamic teachings has come with, in which Allah says in his book "We have honored the children of Adam" [Al Isra':70]. Allah have honored humans by giving them minds through which they can think and understand.

Ozmon, H. A. (2019). Philosophical Foundations of Education.

Quote 17

 "Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less."

- Marie Curie

Quote 16

 "The purpose of a proof is to understand, not verify."

- Arnold Ross

Beautiful Strong Woman

It took a lot of time and hard work to improve myself and change some of my irrational beliefs and negative thoughts.. It’s been about one year..

I’m forever grateful for God who was always by my side knowing everything about me. I’m grateful for myself for refusing to give up. I’m grateful for my mom who was the first person to lift me up from my loss, for my dad who encouraged me to continue my study in university, and to my doctors in the Teaching Diploma program for teaching and guiding me.

I’m proud of the beautiful strong woman I’ve always dreamt to be and whom I’m becoming now. Yes, I love myself; this wonderful girl with a big heart, tender soul, bright mind and humorous spirit. She’s amazing because of all the scars shining on her to make from her a unique version.

- Fatima Sleiman

Quote 15

“A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him.”

 

- David Brinkley

Quote 14

“When you believe in yourself, you have 100% of the people you need on your side.”

 

- Anima Vitam

ضِلعي

خُلقتُ من ضِلعٍ وإليهِ أَعودْ .. وإن مَرَّ بي زَمنٌ وعُقودْ

 هوَ سَكَني وسَكينتي ومَسكني .. هوَ أُنسي ونَاسي ومُؤنِسي

بِدونِهِ أبكي وأصرخُ وأَئِنّ .. وفي كَنَفِهِ أهدَأُ وأَرقُدُ وأطمَئِنّ

هوَ واحِدٌ لا أُشرِكُ بِهِ أَحَدا .. لأنّهُ بِطَبعِهِ وصِفاتِهِ تَفَرّدا

هَلْ جُمِعَتْ فيهِ كُلُّ المَحاسِني .. أَمْ أَنَّ عُيوبَهُ تَجَمَّلَتْ في عَيني؟

فاطمة سليمان

Quote 13

"ترتقي الشعوب وتنخفض بحسب درجة تقديرها للعلاقة الزوجية."

 

روبرتسون

Quote 12

"الزواج التعيس لا ينقصه الحُب، تنقصه الصداقة."

 

نيتشه

لا حدود للنجاح

"ها هي المقاعد نفسها التي جمعتنا فرّقتنا لتُرسل كل واحد منا في طريق هو طريق البداية الذي سيوصله إلى هدفه مهما كان" .. مِن كلمة الخِرّيجين التي ألقيتها في الصف الثاني عشر.

نعم، تفرّقنا وذهب كل منا في طريقه؛ بعض الفتيات تزوّجن، بعض الشباب هاجر ليعمل، والبعض الآخر التحق بالجامعة في مختلف الاختصاصات...

طبعًا لأن كل شخص كان قد وضع هدفًا أمامه وهو يسعى لتحقيقه كما يستنسب.

ولكن هل كان وطننا يومًا الحضن الدافئ لنا؟ أقصد الذين يحكمونه؛ هل سهّلوا علينا الطريق للوصول إلى أهدافنا وأحلامنا؟ بل هل سَمحوا لنا أن نخدم وطننا بعِلمنا وقدراتنا وأدمغتنا على الأقل؟

ها نحن اليوم أمام أزماتِ تفتك ببلدنا نتيجة الإهمال والفوضى والإسراف والنهب...

قلبي عليك يا وطني.. وعلى الأجيال التي تنشأ عليك.. وعلى مستقبلهم..

عسى أن يكون الفرجُ قريبًا!

Quote 11

“Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

- Mahatma Ghandi

Quote 10

“We must become the change we want to see.”

- Mahatma Ghandi

كثير من الحُب وقليل من الجُنون

Quote 9

"The daily practice of gratitude is one of the conduits by which your wealth will come to you."

- Wallace Wattles

Quote 8

"Let us remember, so far as we can, that every unpleasant thought is a bad thing literally put in the body."

- Prentice Mulford

Quote 7

“All that we are is the result of what we have thought. The mind is everything. What we think we become.”

- Buddha

The Best Is Yet To Come

All the flowers will soon bloom.

All the darkness will turn into brightness.

All the thoughts will bring goals.

All the dreams will get into reals.

All the best is yet to come.

So be ready for the outcome!

- Fatima Sleiman

Quote 6

“We can not do great things. We can only do little things with great love.”

- Mother Teresa

Quote 5

“There are many in the world dying for a piece of bread, but there are many more dying for a little love.”

- Mother Teresa

خَيرُ وَكيل

يا رب!

وَكَّلتُ كُلَّ أَمري إليك..

فأنتَ خَيرُ وَكيل،

وما أنا إلا عَبدٌ فقير

لا أُحسِنُ التدبير والتيسير..

ولا أدري ما ينتظرُني في المُستقبل الخَفِيّ،

لكنّي أَدري أنَّك بي حَفِيّ،

تَرقُبُني وتَرحَمُني وتَرزُقني شَيئًا فَشَيْ!

فاطمة سليمان

Quote 4

“Difficulty, my brethren, is the nurse of greatness.”

- William Cullen Bryant

Quote 3

"All things are difficult before they are easy."

- Thomas Fuller

My Way

I’m still walking in this world-

on my long way,

looking right and left,

up and down,

discovering, knowing and

learning new things…

I’m still striving for this tender

feeling I feel inside of me,

this feeling of the ability of

being a better person,

and living a life that I deserve.

- Fatima Sleiman

Quote 2

"It's quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you see."

- John Green

Quote 1

"Be the reason someone believes in the goodness of people."

- Karen Salmansohn

Inside Beauty

The faults we do don’t define us.

Nobody likes to do faults,

but we’re mistaken humans.

Yet, we may be nicer on the inside

than what’s seen from the outside.

-Fatima Sleiman

Mathematics

I was always supposed to follow the signs…

To relate things from east and west,

analyze and conclude..

And maybe that’s why I loved mathematics;

Since it’s mainly about supposing,

analyzing, and proving to reach

a theorem or a corollary that was

unknown before.

-Fatima Sleiman

Bullying in Schools

What is Bullying?

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. Both kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious lasting problem. Bullying is when someone is being hurt either by words or actions on purpose, usually more than once, feels bad because of it, and has a hard time stopping what is happening on them.

Types of Byllying:

1. Verbal Bullying: which is saying or writing mean things, e.g. teasing, name calling, inappropriate sexual comments, taunting, threatening, etc..

2. Social Bullying: sometimes referred to as relational bullying, involves hurting someone’s reputation or relationships, e.g. leaving someone out on purpose, telling other children not to be friends with someone, spreading rumors about someone, embarrassing someone in public, etc..

3. Physical Bullying: involves hurting a person’s body or possessions, e.g. hitting, spitting, pushing, taking or breaking someone's things, making mean or rude hand gestures, etc..

Cyberbullying:

Cyberbullying is bullying that takes place over digital devices like cell phones, computers, and tablets. It can occur through SMS, Text, and apps, or online in social media, forums, or gaming where people can view, participate in, or share content. Cyberbullying includes sending, posting, or sharing negative, harmful, false, or mean content about someone else. It can include sharing personal or private information about someone else causing embarrassment or humiliation. Some cyberbullying crosses the line into unlawful or criminal behavior.

The most common places where cyberbullying occurs are:

• Social Media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter
• SMS (Short Message Service) also known as Text Message sent through devices
• Instant Message (via devices, email provider services, apps, and social media messaging features)
• Email

         
         Health and Human Services, U. S. (2017). Stop Bullying.

Lebanese Education: from East into West

Lebanese education was nearer to Eastern philosophy before the Syrian crisis. Technology was defined by having very old computers at schools having one period of computer weekly, and teachers were using physical attack and abusive words as punishment.
Along with the Syrian crisis and interference of United Nations in their education in Lebanon, they got with them new rules of education that contribute with the western philosophy of education. After that, technology became more integrated in schools and universities, there became more restrictions on diplomas and especially teaching diploma and masters that are said to become a main condition in the official tournament of contract for teaching secondary levels.
Also from that time, physical and verbal attack was forbidden in schools but without finding the alternative. So that students became more bold and rude with teachers having no sanction.
Therefore, the Lebanese education is moving from being based on eastern philosophy into western philosophy but with a lot of loss and mess. There is no clear schedule and goals set by the ministry of Education and Higher Education in Lebanon. However, it’s a matter of holding on to some philosophies and ideas of East and collecting some philosophies from West randomly.

Ozmon, H. A. (2019). Philosophical Foundations of Education.

Mahmoud, I. (2020). Progress of Lebanese Education .

Realism

From this very general philosophical position, the Realist would tend to view the Learner as a sense mechanism, the Teacher as a demonstrator, the Curriculum as the subject matter of the physical world (emphasizing mathematics, science, etc.), the Teaching Method as mastering facts and information, and the Social Policy of the school as transmitting the settled knowledge of Western civilization. The realist would favor a school dominated by subjects of the here-and-now world, such as math and science. Students would be taught factual information for mastery. The teacher would impart knowledge of this reality to students or display such reality for observation and study. Classrooms would be highly ordered and disciplined, like nature, and the students would be passive participants in the study of things. Changes in school would be perceived as a natural evolution toward a perfection of order.

For the realist, the world is as it is, and the job of schools would be to teach students about the world. Goodness, for the realist, would be found in the laws of nature and the order of the physical world. Truth would be the simple correspondences of observation. The Realist believes in a world of Things or Beings (metaphysics) and in truth as an Observable Fact. Furthermore, ethics is the law of nature or Natural Law and aesthetics is the reflection of Nature.

Realists do not believe in general and common aims of education. According to them aims are specific to each individual and his perspectives. And each one has different perspectives. The aim of education should be to teach truth rather than beauty, to understand the present practical life. The purpose of education, according to social realists, is to prepare the practical man of the world.

Maheshwari, V. K. (2015). Realism - as a Philosophy of Education.

Existentialism

Existentialists have been quite consistent in their recommendation of educational aims which are in harmony with their philosophical views… Existentialism is concerned principally with liberal education, freeing man from his isolation and his anonymity, freeing his mind from the confusions that prevent him from seeing his situations and his powers.

According to existentialist, education should make a man subjective and should make him conscious for his individuality or ‘self’. Being self conscious he will recognize his ‘self’ and he will get an understanding of his ‘being’. Individuality lies on self-realization, a motivating force, from an existential perspective; a sense of self-identity is gained by how an individual relates to and values his or her relations. The purpose of education is to build character, to optimize potential and creativity and to enhance the quality of life through knowledge, and then from an existentialist perspective bureaucratization needs to be replaced by humanization.

Education should train men to make better choices and also give the man the idea that since his choices are never perfect, the consequences cannot be predicted.

The ultimate aim of education is to make man conscious of his destination, to give an understanding of his ‘being’ and ultimately lead him to his heavenly abode. So, it is clear that the existentialism accepts the principle of liberal education.

Maheshwari, V. K. (2011). Existentialism - As an Educational Philosophy.

High Standards, High Expectations

Commitment to the incrementalist belief can show up in teachers' behavior, classroom practices, school structures, and even conversations with one another.

Teachers set standards of performance they believe to be rigorous, important, and appropriate; find out where students are in relation to those standards; and adapt instruction to accommodate students' differences in readiness levels (current knowledge or skills), learning and processing styles, and motivation.

They don't pull back, give up, or dilute expectations and academic press for any of them.

They send positive expectation messages to all children regardless of their learning or language differences.

They seize every opportunity in regularly recurring classroom situations to reinforce the messages children get that their teacher believes they can do it and won't give up on them.

Teaching policies and practices are conscientiously geared toward instilling in children life-liberating beliefs.

Teachers teach students and parents about attribution theory and make effective effort an explicit agenda to combat the entity theory.

They don't expect all students to learn at the same rate or meet standards at the same time, especially when there are wide differences in their prior preparation.

But teachers take it as their responsibility to constantly examine and manage their biases for seeing current student performance through the lens of innate ability, teach children to believe in themselves, and explicitly teach them how to work not just harder but smarter with appropriate strategies.

All teachers can create the conditions where unmotivated children want to put forth the effort and this should be an integral part of all our work.

In classroom practices, teachers invest in discovering ways to build confidence in students (belief in themselves and their capacity to achieve) and in teaching them how to invest their effort effectively.

Saphier, J., Haley-Speca, M. A., & Gower, R. (2012). The Skillful Teacher. United States: Research for Better Teaching, Inc.