Open Letter to my 10 Daughters

Over the past two years I have been involved with the education of 10 young women in the Middle East. These women are a group of genuine, talented, creative learners thirsting for knowledge, with a tremendous desire to do their best. Each one beautiful, inside and out. Highly competitive, yet they share and care for each other with deep love. I feel blessed to have been put in their path to guide and shape them into what they have become today.

These women have made great strides in their learning, and their accomplishments have astounded me. Coming from classrooms where rote memorization was the practice they have learned to be constructivist thinkers- to be able to think on their own; though sometimes they longed for someone to just tell them the answers so they could just do it. But this is no different than for all educators really. Don’t we all long for someone just to tell us what ‘works’ so we can do it? Five years ago they stepped into this teacher-education program as 'newbie babies' - today they are extremely knowledgeable, creative, vibrant women capable of holding many different career roles dealing with teaching, technology and learning, whether it be in business or schools.

They have kept me very busy over the last two years thinking of ways to help them think ‘outside the box’, to challenge them, and to help them become critical thinkers. Their Action Research Project Exhibition rivaled that of any Masters degree program in the US. They were able to meet the challenges that faced them and succeed. They gave me the best goodbye gift at their Action Research Project Exhibition, I could have not been more proud of them and their success stories.

Now today I have more challenges for them. Don’t become complacent, or think you have finished learning. This is only the beginning. Don’t mourn the loss of your constant companions -your classmates. Now that you have time, go and learn more, be with your dear classmates virtually. This is a perfect time to do the project ideas you put aside to complete your course assignments.

Here are a few suggestions to continue learning-

DEVELOP a Twitter PLN. Continue to learn from others. Twitter gives you the perfect tool to build an online professional learning network to have conversations with people you don’t know, but would like to. Location doesn’t matter, you can live in Ajman and connect with educators worldwide.

DEVELOP an RSS Reader. Find the sites and blogs to continue learning from; bring the information to you in your RSS, so you don’t have to go ‘looking’ for new ideas constantly. Let the technology do the work for you. Google Reader is still my favorite reader and I add new ‘finds’ each day. Build a collective intelligence through sharing with your classmates in Google Reader.

EXTEND your learning. Learn Online. Take Moodle classes online to learn more and share what you know. Build your Delicious or Diigo accounts.

LEARN something new. Second Life Education areas, find some online gaming sites and challenge your classmates to meet you online. Think about the possibilities of these new virtual learning environments and tools in education.

JOIN. Online PLNs such as the Educators PLN and the Global Education Collaborative. Learn from experienced educators, but remember to contribute.

DESIGN. a Professional Blog. Share what you know and continue to share as you learn more.

READ. Books. Get a Kindle, iPad , or a smart phone– download books and READ.

WATCH. Movies Ahh! ….there is much to learn from movies and listening to them in English will improve your English speaking skills.

DREAM. Dream BIG.

My dream - en’shallah- is that you continue to grow, learn, become more knowledgeable and wise, and in turn “be the change” that education needs. Your children and the world will benefit from your efforts.

Thank you for being a part of my life's journey!