“When we learn how to become resilient, we learn how to embrace the beautifully broad spectrum of human experience.”
Jaeda Dewalt
Welcome to the 2021-2022 academic year. I hope you have all had a restful summer. For many educators, this was the first time they were able to travel in the last year and a half. Many took the opportunity to visit family and friends that they had not seen in a while. Others embraced the chance to travel to somewhere new. But many did not have the opportunity to travel, as restrictions are still in place in many parts of the world.
As we start the new academic year, it is hard to believe that the global pandemic is still the topic of conversation. Many school leaders and teachers have had to cut their holidays short, in order to come back to get things ready for the new school year. They have been reading through and making sense of the raft of ever-changing safety measures that have been sent down from the education authorities. These educators have all our respect and admiration.
The word we will be focussing on as we go into this new school year is resilience. Educators usually are very resilient people; however, the last eighteen months has put our resilience to the test. We have been thrown so many curveballs, but still, we rise. We have learned to embrace all the beautiful and new ways, to ensure that teaching and learning continues.
For many, this new school year represents new hope and a new dawn. Some are entering a new phase in their career, others are starting a new school, and many are entering the region for the first time. No matter what our situation is, we can be sure that our reserves of resilience will be needed as we enter this new academic year. With new variants and ever-changing regulations, no one knows what lies ahead. One thing we do know is that if we are willing to embrace all the experiences that are thrown at us with a positive mindset, we will not only survive but thrive.
We here, at Teach Middle East Magazine, are delighted to be able to join you on this journey, and we hope to be your companion for inspiration, information and professional development throughout this academic year and beyond. It is with this in mind that we bring you this jam-packed issue of Teach Middle East Magazine. This Back to School issue contains some great articles to help you navigate this academic year with confidence. There is an excellent focus on wellbeing as well as social and emotional learning.
We also take you inside GEMS Legacy School Dubai and speak with its principal and CEO, Asha Alexander. Asha shares with us some great tips on what it takes to be an effective school leader in this era. She talks about serving with heart and how to leave a legacy that will be felt for years to come.
We are also delighted to announce the second season of the Teach Middle East Podcast. Season one was the start of the conversation, in season two, we hope to go deeper. Click here to join us as a regular listener or visit www.teachmiddleeastmag.com/podcast.
We are on a mission this academic year to get educators in the region to connect and collaborate more, so please join us on that mission. We invite you to head over to our social media pages, where we connect with like-minded educators. Follow us on Twitter @teachmiddleeast, Instagram @teachmiddleeast, Facebook and LinkedIn @Teach Middle East Magazine.
I am looking forward to connecting with you all.
Leisa Grace Wilson
Editorial Director
