Issue link: https://publications.tfs.ca/i/609675
Zein Odeh: The Sharer of Knowledge English Teacher, Junior School & Senior Teacher, Junior School For a woman whose father was a diplomat and an economist for the United Nations, World Health Organization and World Bank, and whose mother teaches protocol and Arabic to Canadian diplomats, it is no wonder Zein Odeh expected to end up in a career in foreign affairs. Born in Kuwait, and having lived in Ottawa, Geneva, Montreal and Abu Dhabi, it must have seemed a certainty. HOWEVER, THIS EDUCATOR, who learns from her experiences and has determination to always understand more, didn't account for one particular ingredient: children, and the unique atmosphere that can only be found at a school filled with them. After spending her formative years at the International School of Geneva, then at Ashbury College in Ottawa, where she studied partly within the IB programs, Ms. Odeh was admitted to concurrent language arts and education programs at McGill University, graduating with bachelors of arts and education degrees. Trilingual in French, English and Arabic, she taught at inner-city schools in Montreal before moving to Abu Dhabi to teach for two years. Back in Ontario, she studied for her master's in education at the University of Ottawa. True to her intentions, after receiving her graduate degree, she joined the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT). For one year she worked within the department that facilitated partnerships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), to open access to education for women in developing nations. However, she missed being in a school so much so that she decided to go back to teaching and was hired by TFS nine years ago. Never one to believe that current practices are necessarily the best, Ms. Odeh constantly asks what she can do better, even if it means pushing herself outside her comfort zone. Take yoga, for example. She recently incorporated poses into her lessons to foster mindfulness among her students, leading the yoga segments herself. Making herself open to the unfamiliar and challenging, her students feel comfortable doing the same. During her 2012-2013 sabbatical, one of her key goals was to apply to the International Baccalaureate Academy. She attended the invite-only nine-week program, which trains teachers to evaluate IB schools. She now leads workshops to further the knowledge of other IB teachers; she calls these sessions "my best professional development. I am teaching best practices, but at the same time I am also constantly learning from other teachers and leaders. I highly encourage other teachers to do the same." 30 TFS ENTRE NOUS 2015