Dr. Sawsan Jaber - Teachers Make a Difference - Sommeih Uddin and Hasan Jabar

The speaker reflects on their 24-year teaching career, emphasizing the profound impact teachers can have on students. They highlight two influential figures: their 6th-grade English teacher, Samaya Odeen, who helped them find identity and belonging through literature, and their grandfather, Hassan Jabed, who instilled the importance of education and literacy. These experiences shaped the speaker's teaching philosophy, aiming to create a classroom where every student feels they belong and can discover themselves.

What impact did Samaya Odeen have on the speaker's life?

What challenges did the speaker face in finding a sense of belonging in school?

In what ways did literature help the speaker with their identity?

How did the speaker's grandpa influence their view on education?

What lessons about history and identity did the speaker learn from their grandpa?