By time, verily men is at loss

Except those who have faith, and do good

Who speak the truth, and keep patient. (Quran)
It is at the center of humanity, at the core of our hearts, at the
base of success at the madness of philosophers, the victor of the
ignorant, the advancement of our race, it is knowledge.
The only thing between knowledge and a knowledge seeker is
time. Time is something that we can never manage to defeat. It
whitens our hairs, it wrinkles our skin, it dims our eyesight and brings
about new generations. It makes the young look old, the old look
older, and no one can outsmart it. It is the one thing we all loose. It is
the one thing thats for sure. Life is short, knowledge is vast, and from
it we have been given only a little. If all the trees were pens and all
the seas were ink we could never write the knowledge of life. Such is
the journey a human embarks from the early days, a journey full of
trials and tribulations, a road without a visible end, a path, which calls
for surrender on many occasions. Yet humanity pushes and has faith.
Those who have faith will move on. As Arthur Godfrey said Even if
you are on the right track, youll get run over if you just sit there. We
need to have faith and move forward, and in order to move forward we
need a push. That push can sometimes come from the deepest
chambers of our heart, and other times can come from a place very;
somewhere outside, from someone who says the right thing, is there at
the right time to guide us. This I believe is the teacher in everyones
life.
My teaching philosophy can only be what I am. I thought a lot
about the things that were said by others, the philosophies they
entertained, the examples they gave and I could not find one that

would match what I believe. We teach who we are. My philosophy can

be only what I am. It is not static for I am not static. I have learned
and experienced, I have cried and laughed and in the end I have not
yet figured out life, so to say that I know exactly what I want is not
saying the truth. And in order to speak the truth one will have to keep
patient because the reality of life is at many points submerged in not
saying the truth. The teacher gives his or her heart for the truth of the
students. With patience, endures and keeps good faith, while doing
what he or she thinks is good.
Teaching is a life long endeavor. Seek knowledge from the
cradle to the grave said Muhammad ibn Abdullah. The teacher is the
one to hold your hand at the cradle and at the grave.
All what I have said is underpinned by a strong commitment to
inclusive education, effective pedagogy and reflective/critical thinking.
The classroom is a social microcosm and each child has a
chance, a light, and faith and hence deserves the full dedication,
compassion, and effectiveness of the teacher. The teacher has to
strive hard and set each student up for success. Of course life is not a
breeze of success, however the teacher needs to give each student the
tools that they need to move towards the highest possible
achievement. Students are as diverse as snowflakes and the teacher
has to take the time and analyze each snowflake and find what makes
it different from the other, and hold it in such a way that it will not
melt. Relationships, understanding, communication, relevance of
instruction materials and curriculum, are the building blocks for an
inclusive class. Everyone brings something different and unique to the
educational experience, and learning takes place by placing the mosaic
pieces together.

Effective pedagogy is accessible learning, stimulating the

different intelligences, sparking the interest of each student,
engagement and full participation, relevance of instructional materials
and maximizing instructional time. Effective pedagogy has to be
underpinned by active learning strategies, cooperative learning models
and ideal class management where the students are at the core of
decision-making and responsibilities and expectations are clearly
defined.
Effective pedagogy cannot be mentioned without linking it to
critical and reflective thinking. The greatest gift to humanity is the
mind. Empowering students with the tools to critically analyze
readings, issues, daily life matters, is at the core of my philosophy.
However looking back is as important as looking forward. Decisionmaking and critical analysis is only one aspect, while evaluating
decisions, outcomes, mistakes, reflecting and amending is the
ingredient for wisdom and growth in knowledge.
The teacher is the light that lights the candle of each student,
encouraging good deeds, faith, truth, and patience.