About the Cause
Teachers need quality training to provide quality education. With the support of our implementing partners and curriculum experts, we are training a generation of teachers that can influence, even with limited resources, children and young people’s ability to learn and prosper.
My Story
There were no Arabic teacher councils in the southeast of the United States. In addition, most state foreign language associations in the Midsouth region are unable to offer Arabic-specific development opportunities since in the individual states there are only a limited number of Arabic teachers. Also, most Arabic teachers find themselves teaching in isolation, with little access to professional development opportunities or contact with colleagues at other institutions. Also, many are teaching without licensure or any professional certification related specifically to the teaching of Arabic. Finally, Arabic teachers rarely have the opportunity for local access to professional development activities specific to the Arabic language. The extremely limited resources to support Arabic language teaching in this area have only perpetuated this situation. Consequently, the proposed council will fill a considerable void in terms of opportunities for Arabic teachers. Funding for a council will help improve Arabic language program outcomes and provide enhanced learning opportunities for students by having more coordinated efforts towards the professionalization of Arabic language teacher development.