StarTeaching Feature Writer

Munir Moosa Sewani is one of the most famous, prominent and creative names in the field of Education in the past 8 years.  He is a Master Trainer In Special Education, Post Graduate Teacher Educator, and a Teacher.  He is a Freelance Writer and Photographer, in addition to his role as a featured writer for StarTeaching's newsletter over the past year. He is an author of the famous self-published storybook for children titled, "The MORAL STORIES FOR CHILDREN," and has also written a Biology course book for Secondary Classes. He has written more than 30 articles internationally on many websites and numerous newsletters dealing with social, health, educational, and cultural issues, which are internationally recognized and published in most of the famous world- wide websites, magazines and newspapers.

He is also a social worker, private tutor, career counselor, musician, lyrics writer and has many multi- dimensional talents.

His future plan is to write dozens of informative books and articles and to work in the education field and the media, in order to develop the sense of understanding many dimensions of life through his creativity.

You can contact Munir Moosa Sewani at: munirmoosa@yahoo.com

 
Past Articles from Munir Moosa Sewani:

Duties of a Responsible Teacher
The Importance of Career Planning
Effective Interview Skills

Voice of Exceptional People (part 1)
Voice of Exceptional People (part 2)
Teaching As A Career
Analyzing the Lack of Educational Motivation in Students

Reflections on Teaching Practice

 

DUTIES OF A RESPONSIBLE TEACHER

By: Munir Moosa Sewani

Teachers are the leaders of every nation. They are the role model of their students. Their responsibilities towards their profession are increasing day by day, as students are highly concerned about what is taught to them by their teachers. Teachers are the only one, who molds the future of their students by imparting quality education.

Entering in the field of teaching is not a cup of tea for every one.  Only those can survive in this profession, who are responsible and understands their duties and performs it effectively.

Teachers are no doubt willing to enhance their teaching skills all the time, but they have some responsibilities towards this profession too.

Being professional, every individual teacher should perform their duties with loyalty and sincerity.

Few of the responsibilities being a teacher, which I have learnt in my teaching experience is given below:

·                    They should help in developing the school curriculum.

·                    A teacher should assess, record and report on the work of pupils on weekly/montly basis.

·                    It’s the responsibility of a teacher to have an interactive discussion with every student family in order to know child psychology properly.

·                    A teacher should prepare pupils for examinations and grade them wisely.

·                    A teacher should be punctual in school.

·                    A teacher should provide advice and guidance to pupils on issues related to their education.

·                    A teacher should maintain class diary and lesson plan folder.

·                    A teacher should convey all the issues related to their students with the heads.

·                    A teacher should allocate activity budget effectively.

·                    A teacher should check ups and down in the progress of their students time to time.

·                    They should Promote and safeguard the health, welfare and safety of pupils.

·                    They should take continuous training for their professional development.

·                    They should always be ready to face liabilities without any hesitation as they are accountable to their heads, which is the part of teaching profession.

·                    A teacher should contribute towards good order and the wider needs of the school.

·                    A teacher is responsible for the leadership, good management and strategic direction of colleagues.

·                    A responsible teacher should try to teacher their children according to their level of understanding.

·                    An effective teacher should communicate properly with their staff members and students.

·                    A responsible teacher should give extra time to their teaching. If any student needs help then he/she should try to help their student individually after school hours.

·                    A responsible teacher designs extra curricular activities, which suits the student ideas and explore student’s creativity.

·                    A responsible teacher should practice what they preach.

·                    Teachers have a responsibility to work co-operatively with colleagues and others to pursue the overall objectives of the service.

·                    A teacher should give additional time for the preparation of their lesson plans and must be pre-planned a day before teaching it to students.

·                    A teacher should attend every parents meeting’s and should first negotiate the positive and then some negative aspects of the student, without any concealment.

·                    They should forward and share their pre-planning materials with the other class teacher without any hesitation.

·                    A teacher should use their professional judgment in relation to the prioritization of tasks.

·                    Teachers have a right and a responsibility to contribute to the development of a quality service. They have a professional commitment to develop their skills and expertise in classroom practice and other related matters through an agreed program of continuing professional development.

·                    A teacher should document and maintains  pupil’s disciplinary records as well.

·                    A teacher should not shift their job until student’s final term examination ends.

Last but not the least,

“All the teachers should take this noble profession seriously, because the rein of future is in their hands. They are the one who prepares leaders for the future generation to raise our country head internationally.”

 

The Importance of Career Planning

By Munir Moosa Sewani

A career refers to a profession, which we want to adopt for earning our livelihood, and planning means the proper flow to make proper decisions.

Pre-planning in our life plays a very important role in every aspect of life, to work in a proper flow, and pre-planning for our career, which we want to pursue in our future after acquiring certain level of education or a degree is also very necessary in today's competitive world.

According to the Thorndike dictionary, "A goal that you desire to achieve in a selected field or occupation with a well-thought out plan, to get you there is called Career Planning."

The world is now moving very fast, and the time has come when this meritocratic society will accept only those having the right qualifications and right skills. The old days are gone when just a degree would help an individual to attain a high profile job by giving a bribe or using some other means. Now it's high time, when the transparency in job recruitment has taken place.  Challenges and competition are the part of today's society, and therefore, Career Planning is the only task, which can guide us to do what we want to do in our life, rather than just aimlessly changing jobs all the time in future.  We have seen many Pakistanis, who after completing Intermediate Education, don't know where to go, what to do and we have also seen graduates, who aimlessly move through their education without any specialization. As a result, their earnings are just in 6-8 figures.  

Career Planning is one of the broader aspects of learning in our existence. We all have some intentions and we all think to have stability in our future lives, and for that purpose, CAREER PLANNING serves as a key to success.  Career Planning forces a person to think suitably about their positive and negative aspects as well as their interests, and their creativity becomes possible by properly analyzing ourselves. 

Career Planning basically starts when a person finishes Secondary/ Higher Secondary level of education. After that level, a person could opt for that educational degree, which would help them out to have a good job opportunity according to their skills at the right time.  Career Planning helps us to design and formulate our future smoothly. For example, if a person wants to be a banker, then he or she would choose to go for ACCA or CA or complete a MBA in finance after completing Intermediate Education in commerce and graduating with a degree in commerce/ business administration.. Otherwise, he/ she would go for CAT course or Masters in Commerce or even up to doctorate level. 

This pre-planning would be effective and would give him/her benefits for achieving educational targets effectively.  It also helps us to evaluate our own personality, which helps us to know that which kind of job would suit us according to our need and capabilities.  In short, Career Planning is like mapping our future.  Without proper planning, no one could think of getting a desired job in future.  Think about what we want to do and then find out more about the kind of training, education, and skills we will need to achieve our career goal; this is the core objective of career planning.  It helps us to know the nature of the jobs that interest us, such as educational requirements, salary, working conditions, fringe benefits, promotion chances, future prospectus, and it helps us focusing in the right dimension.  Career planning directs us, motivates us, and helps us to accomplish what we want. A career goal is a specific vision such as an architect or a teacher or a career goal can be a particular field which we want to work in, such as Media, Education, Medicine, Engineering etc.  

For those who will think about their future and career after completing their education without any long term desired goals are the ones whose attempts might end in smoke.  There are some cases and situations which require a person to pre-plan in advance, such as family, family business status, lack of interest in studies or traditional job, low motivation, low financial status, etc, or some past educational traumas which caused a person to plan at a later time. 

Career planning is a lifetime process; we are always learning and growing, and as we do, our interests and needs also change. Career planning is not just making plans to obtain our careers, but it also helps us to make many adjustments there will be along the ways we learn throughout our lives.  Those who have successful careers like educators, business owners, managers, pilots, architects, bankers, doctors, etc. are the ones, who have made their ways through with proper guidance. 

No doubt, our parents have some wishes and expectations from us, but we have our own too. Therefore, we should also consider others' opinions. For that we could take guidance from an educational counselor to get better guidance towards new dimensional fields as well. Teachers, professionals, career guidance websites, as well as head educational consultants can also guide us to have a better approach for our future. 

We must have the freedom of speaking and the freedom of choosing our careers as we have to lead our lives which interest us. We must try to have an open mind in order to choose the right career at the right time.  According to one renowned professor, "Few of us like to opt for those degree courses, which their family or friends have advised them to adopt and this inappropriate knowledge trapped them into a great mistake.  In this way, they are unable to get good job opportunities according to their interests. Only Proper Career Guidance would help an individual to be on the right path beforehand. Few of us try to seek the right path and really take guidance from our family or our teachers to tell them what is good for them, which career is in demand and which career suits their interest." 

The future is un-predictable; however, we could still make our place in this meritocratic world by making career goals and plans in advance for getting better opportunities in today's pluralistic and globalize world.  We must pre-plan our goals under the supervision of professionals in a conscious state of mind, so that we could strategically maintain our goals and follow it towards the path of a successful future.

 

EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW SKILLS

BY: MUNIR MOOSA SEWANI

Life is full of challenges. We meet many confrontations in our daily life. When we are at the stage of entering school/college/university, we face many hard challenges and learn many lessons of practical life through them.

After acquiring matric/inter/graduation/post graduation, students usually move towards their specialization or adopt a profession of their choices, according to their own interest, keeping in view the market demand.  Talents and skills are the only tools which could lead an individual towards the door of success in this challenging time. To qualify for a professional degree or a job, one should have a strong past educational background along with integrated multi-dimensional skills. It’s of no use acquiring a higher degree without building character, confidence, and expressive personality.

To meet the challenges of professional life, one has to be familiar with many skills to grab the attention of an  interviewer, out of which interview skills are the basic necessities to meet up the future challenges with success.

Whether you are applying for a job or want to qualify an entrance examination for a professional degree, you should have to be prepared in advance for an interview. It’s the only way through which you can gain the trust of an interviewer. An interviewer always attempts to decide why they should select you. What are the qualities that you have and others do not have? How can you be a benefit to their organization?

If you can show your trust, your confidence, your commitment, and appropriate skills, then you could win a successful future.  The interview is a form of oral communication. It’s one to one, or one to group interaction, where an applicant proves himself or herself as a unique person to be the part of an organization.

Remember that the interview is always pre-planned and structured. It’s a formal presentation between an interviewer and an interviewee.  Only those pass it with flying colors who are original and show their interest with confidence and who present themselves as appealing. 

There are many types of interviews, like an information gathering interview, an appraisal interview, an exit interview, a hiring interview, a college/ university interview, a persuasive interview, a counseling interview and of course many more. In this article, we are going to learn about the college/ university entrance and hiring interview. 

The Hiring/Entrance Interview is one of the best known and the most widely experienced type of interview where a Human Resource Manager/ Educational Expertise takes an interviewer. 

To reduce your chances being rejected, here are some basic professional skills, which will lead you towards the path of success in your interview.

BEFORE INTERVIEW:

First of all, prepare your mind in advance that you are going to have an interview next morning. Relax yourself and do not get nervous, tense or tired at any cost.

Before going for an interview, pre-planned few things: 

1. Learn about the company, organization or educational institution and do some research in advance.

Why should you perform an advance research?

To develop good answers and to prove that you are unique

What you have to Research?

You can gather information about organizational structure; type of their clients/ students; departments and its branches; past and present achievements etc.

How can you gather information?

Simply search yellow pages or ask your friend or family member/relative who are familiar about organization or you can collect information through newspapers and websites. 

2. Prepare answers to typical questions. Practice your answer and never rote it.

Here are few of the sampling questions, which you can practice in advance.

What do you feel about our organization?

What are your weaknesses?

Why do you want to become a part of our organization?

Tell me about your self and about your hobbies.

Who is your role model and why? 

3. If you are lucky to know the name of a person, who will interview you, then memorizes his/her name properly. 

4. Decide what to wear.
Do’s:
Dress simply but elegantly.
Dress should be well ironed without crease.
Wear comfortable shoes.
Wear basic hosiery. You can even check what management wears and dress similarly without over kill.
 

Don’ts:
Dress casual.
Wear Athletic Shoes.
Spray lots of cologne.
Wear lots of jewelry.
Wear wrinkled attire.
Wear flashing tie.

Prepare a file having your portfolio, educational degree copies and extra copies of your resume.

Find proper address in advance, that where are you going in the morning.

Get a good night sleep. 


ON THE DAY OF INTERVIEW: 

Take a bath.

Do not apply heavy makeup.

Always carry a purse or a small handy briefcase with you.

Do carry your portfolio file.

Dress effectively.

Do not eat anything containing garlic or onion in your breakfast.

Arrive 15 minutes earlier to show you’re prompt and seriousness.

Be friendly with receptionist.

 

DURING INTERVIEW:

  • Start it off winner. Offer your hand and give a firm shake, else greet them with your pleasant smile.

  • Take a permission to sit on a chair.

  • Show a positive confident attitude and introduce yourself.

  • Don’t get tense. Be comfortable and face the interviewer effectively.

  • Listen to their questions effectively and answer it genuinely.

  • Answer every question with confidence. Have a proper eye contact towards your interviewer. Remember that the interviewer might be more than one; so keep your eye contact with every individual interviewer to make them feel unique.

  • Whatever you want to answer, speak clearly with a normal tempo voice. Do not shout.

  • Show your confidence level at every moment of an interview.

  • Show your certifications or achievements only when they ask you to show.

  • Always sit straight. It might help them to analyze your personality and your traits.

  • Use the medium of answer, in which you feel comfortable. Remember to use good grammar and strong vocabulary with neutral accent.

  • Always clarify your answer. Do not say Yes or No.

  • Never complains about your past organization or employees.

  • While giving effective answers. Do not argue and always give respect to your interviewer. Always keep neutral thinking and try to mould your answer according to your interviewer personality.

  • Do not eat chewing gum, while answering questions.

  • If they give you a chance to ask any query or question, only ask relevant question.

 

      TRADITIONAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

      Few of the traditional interview questions, which an organization might ask are 

      Tell me about yourself (in two minutes).

      Why do you feel that you will be successful in...?

         Why did you decide to interview with our organization?

      Are you willing to relocate?

      Tell me about your scholastic record.

      Tell me about your extra-curricular activities and interests.

         What are your strengths and weaknesses?

      Why should we hire you?

      Why did you choose to become a teacher, nurse..?

      Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years?

      Why do you want to leave your current job?

 

After Interview:

With a pleasing smile, say thanks and ask about the next step in the process.

  • Follow up. Call them if you do not get a call within a given time frame.
  • Write a thank you letter to an organization for taking out their precious time for your interview.

 

Reasons for not getting a job/admission 

Might be you lack oral communication skills or writing skills.

Your inappropriate attitude could also let you down in your interview.  

Lack of knowledge about the working world

Lack of confidence

Inappropriate/fake degree

Lack of experience

Lack of motivation 

    PRACTICE YOUR INTERVIEW SKILLS.

    CHIN UP AND GEAR UP FOR YOUR NEXT INTERVIEW J! 

 

VOICE OF EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE (part 1)

By: Munir Moosa Sewani

Teachers are the leaders of every nation. The following is from an educational article published by Munir Moosa Sewani, and describes the unique voices of very unique individuals in his home country.  You'll find that these cases are similar to those found world wide and across America.  

The major community problem for which I have contributed my efforts is the problem of “THE RIGHTS OF SPECIAL PEOPLE”. 

I have worked as a teacher and counselor for our “Community” for 7years. Since from my childhood, I had an intention to perform social work for the special people, because I had a natural bond of attachment with them. To accomplish my wish, I chose the “SPECIAL PEOPLE COMMITTEE” of our community so that I could bring change in their lives.  

“I Am Only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do every thing, but still I can do something, and because I cannot do every thing, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”   -  EDWARD EVERETTHALE”  

I dealt with all types of students from the categories of Profound, Severe, Moderate, Mild, but specially I have worked with “The Border Line” students who want their rights; who face the major problems in every society in every community; who want their creativity to explore in front of others; who awaits the love from others; who wants others to accept them as a Normal Being.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step”. “Chinese proverb”

And that chance of Volunteer Service for these beloved special children was the first step of mine towards my journey to work for their RIGHTS.

“I believe that every individual can make a difference”.

I thank God that these lovely students trusted me, gave me the bond of relationship, and accepted me whole-heartedly in just my first year of Volunteer Service. They shared all of their problems with me and I thank God for giving me the special power for being accepted by them.

I have heard their voices, their shivered pleadings, their wishes, their expectations. But still, they need every one in the society to hear them, to care for them and to love them.

I had even faced many problems from our community while working for their RIGHTS.

I could say this:  "Though I am young, but even then I am mature"

I can’t do every thing in this world but yes I have brought a little change in their lives, which is the big reward for me.   On this international platform I want to raise their voices.

I want to be their voice to tell you all the problems, which all the special people are facing. The problems, which need to be resolute, could only be possible by joining hands together.   The following are the major problems, which my community special people of “border line” category are facing, which has been identified by me are:

  • They want to get proper EDUCATION.

  • They want to get their RIGHTS.

  • They want others to TREAT THEM PROPERLY.

  • They want every one to stop calling them “SPECIAL”.

  • They want others to treat them as “NORMAL HUMAN BEING OF THE SOCIETY”.

  • They want to Marry.

  • They want FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

  • They want JOBS to begin their INDEPENDENT LIFE.

  • They want SOCIAL SECURITY.

  • They want to participate in INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS.

  • They want the PLATFORMS to show their talents to this world.

  • They want everyone in the society to MAKE THEM THEIR FRIENDS.

I want to share my experiences with you, that in what way I have helped few of my community special students of “borderline” to bring change in their lives and I would like to share my efforts and my initiative with you.

FIRSTLY, in order to create awareness among community people about their problems, I worked with special children and identified the problems, which they are facing.

Next, I wrote an article "I ADORE SPECIAL PEOPLE WHY DON’T YOU?" in which I wrote about their rights and distributed it to the community people so that they can be made aware about their personal needs and their rights. People, especially the younger members of our community, showed positive gestures and showed their keen interest to know more about them after reading my article.  In this way I made the people of my community well aware about their needs and expectations from the society.

Next, I participated in the workshops in which I presented a speech on special people in front of their parents. I faced many problems because I came to know that many of the special students were disheartened because their parents do not understand them.   Next, I personally visited many of the parents of my community and made them well aware of their wants, needs, and expectations from their family members.

I AM ADDING SOME OF THE EXAMPLES OF MY BELOVED SPECIAL CHILDREN, WHOSE LIFE HAS BROUGHT LITTLE CHANGE THROUGH MY EFFORTS AND NOW THEY ARE LEADING A GOOD LIFE WITH A LOT OF CONFIDENCE.

Their weeps, their words, their expressions, their gestures; all had made me realized just one thing that still in Pakistan in all the major communities, SPECIAL PEOPLE ARE NOT TREATED AS NORMAL HUMAN BEINGS.   Even today I know that they are the special stars of our society. They have made our nation proud too by participating in Special Olympics Worldwide in 2004, but still they re-bounded with loads of pressures.

I have brought changes in few lives, but the question is, who will solve the problems and issues of all the special people of every community? Who will guide them? Following are my students, who have solved many of their problems through my efforts and counseling. I am just quoting examples of few of my students.

Name will not be disclosed; therefore I am using ALPHABETIC REPRESENTATIONS on the behalf of their names.

One of the experiences, which I would like to share, is the experience of one beautiful girl:

“A” is 25 years old. Her parents and family friends always discouraged her in many of her personal decisions. She is a “Border line” female student. Her family treated her very badly during her early age.

Just because of seeing the family fights since from her early age, she had her first Epilepsy attack at the age of 10. She bears many hardships and had faced many physical punishments from her family. She was the first student of mine whom I studied very carefully. She wanted to participate in sports.

 For that, I went to her family, talked with them, and made them realize about their insanity, which made her daughter fearful. I told her family about the talents, which their daughter had. She was medically treated for her epilepsy and free medicines were provided to her by MY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL. I trained her for sports. From that day, her life changed and after continuous efforts and with her family positive gesture, she participated in “The World Olympics” in 2004,and won a medal too. The smile, which was seen on her face, was the first victory of my effort, which made me realize that at least I have brought a little change in her life. She firstly shared her victory with me, which was the precious virtual reward for me.

NOW, she is working at her neighbor’s house and earn around $100 a month. She has her own mobile, which she bought from her own salary. She is also a volunteer coach of our Community.   She always wished to be TREATED AS NORMAL CHILD. The good thing is that NOW SHE IS TREATED AS A NORMAL CHILD BY HER FAMILY. The only problem, which is not yet solved, is the PROBLEM OF HER MARRIAGE. She wants to marry and wants to live happy life.

The next girl is “B”. She had many traumatic experiences, which she had personally shared to me in her counseling session. Her wish is to MARRY and to GET SOCIAL SECURITY.   She explained me that her parents told her that you are SPECIAL and you CAN’T MARRY. She further added that one man in her building tries to sexually abuse her, touch her and use bad words. That man told “B” many times to come with him to his house.

“B” is a brave girl, not special from mind. My question is: How any one can tell this situation if he/she is special?

Though she is borderline student, I guess she is a normal child. She thinks, she evaluates everything and understands many things.

Firstly, she went to her aunt with whom she lives. Her mom is always busy in her work and her father is not alive. Her aunt ignores this serious issue. “B” wants FREEDOM OF SPEECH. She wanted to express her feelings. Many denied the serious issue, which she was facing.   I counseled her. She was taught how to handle such situations in the future. I went to her aunt and asked her how she can tolerate this serious matter. I told her family members that she is also normal and she also needs freedom of speech. Her family now treats her in much better way than before.

She also wants to marry in her life but still her family doesn’t want to talk about this matter.   What changes were brought in her life?   Now she knows HOW TO HANDLE THE SITUATIONS. She is MORE CONFIDENT. She ACTIVELY PARTICIPATES IN COMMUNITY WORKS and lastly, she is getting education which is funded by OUR COMMUNITY.  .I have counseled her for several months on many issues. I have taught her how to be brave and I have told her how to ask for her rights.

Am I insane? Who am I? Where I am? Why me?

The questions were spoken by one of the next brilliant student of mine “C” who is again a “borderline” child and had many wishes to go on. But because of NO JOB PLACEMENT for him and a NON SUPPORTIVE FAMILY, HE DECLARES HIMSELF AS A MENTAL, ILLITERATE, USELESS CREATURE ON THE EARTH. I taught him for 7 years and he is a true friend of mine. The problems, which he is facing in the community and society, are:

Firstly HE WANTS TO GO ABROAD. His wish is to see the world. Even though his family had been many times abroad but never took him with them because in their view their child is MENTALLY RETARDED.  Secondly HE WANTS A GOOD JOB. Thirdly, HE WANTS TO TRAVEL BY BUS INDEPENDENTLY. He also wants to laugh and wants his family to love him. He wanted others to make him a friend. He also wants to participate in sports.

HE WANTS TO REMOVE THE TERM “SPECIAL” FROM THIS SOCIETY.

I still remember that when  “The World Trade Center” was abashed and I didn’t know this news, this guy came to me and told me that,   “Did you hear the news that in New York America there was a blast in The World Trade Center? "

This sentence shocked me and I asked him how he knew? He told me that he saw it on TV and sharing with you that was why people are creating such riots in this world, and this is bad.

Are these words ever spoken by the insane?

Never.

He is normal. I declare it and I mean it.

He is normal and perfectly all right. I asked him who entered you in our community special school?

He answered me that his mom admitted him in special committee.

He told me that he is not special and he doesn’t like his parents for this kind of behavior towards him.

He wants to start his own business for that he asked many times to his family to help him and to the community people as well but no one showed him positive gesture for help.

WHAT I DID FOR HIM?

I taught him the jute work on bottle. He did that and started selling it in our community and in this way, he started his own small business. He wanted to participate in sports. I taught him badminton and bocce and by the grace of GOD, he participated in ALL Pakistan Special Sports in the year 2003. He needs a friend and he got me as a friend and many of my other students whom I give religious studies in our community also talks with him humbly and love him very much.

Now whenever he meets me, I see a magnificent smile on his face. He wants just one thing that is the support from his family, which is still missing. He wants to sit in bus.

Now, He earns around $20 every month from his jute bottle work. When his family came to know about it, they threatened him not to do so because according to his family it’s an insulted work and they don’t want him to sell his hand-made decorated bottles in the market. His big brother has slapped him too, but still he is struggling for his rights and selling his bottles.

I want to ask every parents in this world that if their child is normal, can also think, can imagine every thing, then why community and family pressure is still in every society creating a barrier for them?

They don’t have their own world of thought. They are also the part of us.   I, as a human being and a social worker tried to find work place for “C” but WHO WILL FIND A WORK PLACE FOR OTHERS?

What little change I have brought in his life?   Now he is selling decorated bottles hand made and he has gained a lot of confidence. He participates actively in social functions and he feels himself as a normal being.   Our community is very supportive, responsive, careful and being the part of this community I would like to say that though there are many community problems they are facing, but still I am trying my best to help them.   “Individual problems can be resolute easily but what about the problems of special people instill to be addressed worldwide”.

One more student “D” who starts using drugs because of the carelessness of his family. He was not special but just because of the changes in his behavior; his family took him to enter the special school. His dream was to STUDY IN A NORMAL SCHOOL but his family shattered it. He wanted to work, but he was discouraged by many community people and in social gatherings by commenting him as a mental. He is now 20 years old.

 Changes that I brought in his life.

I met his family who cooperated with me and now he is studying in the normal school in class 6. He is actively participating in community service and he is now also the member of WORLD SCOUT. The great thing is that HE IS NOW LIVING A NORMAL LIFE.

 

VOICE OF EXCEPTIONAL PEOPLE   (part 2)

By: Munir Moosa Sewani

Teachers are the leaders of every nation. The following is the second in a series from an educational article published by Munir Moosa Sewani, and describes the unique voices of very unique individuals in his home country.  You'll find that these cases are similar to those found world wide and across America.  

The major community problem for which I have contributed my efforts is the problem of “THE RIGHTS OF SPECIAL PEOPLE”. 

I have worked as a teacher and counselor for our “Community” for 7years. Since from my childhood, I had an intention to perform social work for the special people, because I had a natural bond of attachment with them. To accomplish my wish, I chose the “SPECIAL PEOPLE COMMITTEE” of our community so that I could bring change in their lives.  

“I Am Only one. But still, I am one. I cannot do every thing, but still I can do something, and because I cannot do every thing, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.”   -  EDWARD EVERETTHALE”  

I dealt with all types of students from the categories of Profound, Severe, Moderate, Mild, but specially I have worked with “The Border Line” students who want their rights; who face the major problems in every society in every community; who want their creativity to explore in front of others; who awaits the love from others; who wants others to accept them as a Normal Being.

And that chance of Volunteer Service for these beloved special children was the first step of mine towards my journey to work for their RIGHTS.   I thank God that these lovely students trusted me, gave me the bond of relationship, and accepted me whole-heartedly in just my first year of Volunteer Service. They shared all of their problems with me and I thank God for giving me the special power for being accepted by them.

I have heard their voices, their shivered pleadings, their wishes, their expectations. But still, they need every one in the society to hear them, to care for them and to love them.   I had even faced many problems from our community while working for their RIGHTS. I can’t do every thing in this world but yes I have brought a little change in their lives, which is the big reward for me.   On this international platform I want to raise their voices.

I want to be their voice to tell you all the problems, which all the special people are facing. The problems, which need to be resolute, could only be possible by joining hands together.   The following are the major problems, which my community special people of “border line” category are facing, which has been identified by me are:

  • They want to get proper EDUCATION.

  • They want to get their RIGHTS.

  • They want others to TREAT THEM PROPERLY.

  • They want every one to stop calling them “SPECIAL”.

  • They want others to treat them as “NORMAL HUMAN BEING OF THE SOCIETY”.

  • They want to Marry.

  • They want FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

  • They want JOBS to begin their INDEPENDENT LIFE.

  • They want SOCIAL SECURITY.

  • They want to participate in INTERNATIONAL COMPETITIONS.

  • They want the PLATFORMS to show their talents to this world.

  • They want everyone in the society to MAKE THEM THEIR FRIENDS.

I want to share my experiences with you, that in what way I have helped few of my community special students of “borderline” to bring change in their lives and I would like to share my efforts and my initiative with you.

I AM ADDING SOME OF THE EXAMPLES OF MY BELOVED SPECIAL CHILDREN, WHOSE LIFE HAS BROUGHT LITTLE CHANGE THROUGH MY EFFORTS AND NOW THEY ARE LEADING A GOOD LIFE WITH A LOT OF CONFIDENCE.

Names will not be disclosed; therefore I am using ALPHABETIC REPRESENTATIONS on the behalf of their names.

Now moving towards another brave hero who wants to become an Indian actor in his life.   He is talented, brilliant and active. He LOVES TO DANCE, TO SING SONGS AND TO PLAY THE ORGAN.  He knows how to cook food and how to prepare his bed for sleep and many more things, but he lacks skills for social gatherings.  His name is “X”, who lives his life actively.  His dreams are unlimited.

WHAT I DID FOR HIM:

I taught him to play the organ. I taught him singing and I am proud that now he is able to communicate in social gatherings with much more confidence.   There are many other students whose life was changed by the little efforts of my community service. I came to know many of their problems and have tried my best to work for it.

  WHAT HAVE I ACCOMPLISHED? HOW HAVE I MEASURED THE RESULT OF MY WORK?

  • I have tried my best to identify the problems which they face in their daily lives.

  • I have tried to motivate my students to participate in International Events.

  • I have tried to counsel them and their parents.

  • I have resolved many of their problems.

  • I have tried to bring smiles on their faces.

  • I have tried to find work places for a few students.

  • I have raised their issues in front of the MINISTER FOR SPECIAL PEOPLE AND SOCIAL WELFARE FOR PAKISTAN , MISS ZUBAIDA JALAL, in the seminar organized by our community.

  • I have tried to make my community aware by participating in debating issues and by writing awareness articles.

  • I have seen remarkable changes in the behavior of some special students.

  • I have seen positive gestures from society towards them.

Though I have not accomplished everything I've set out to do, still I have accomplish some things.   I have also tried to make my other students gathering in religious education center and in my private tuition center aware of their rights, their expectations from the society, their dreams etc.

I taught my community, my students, and their parents to be with them and to listen to them. I have sat with special people to make them feel that they are also the part of our community.

Why have I taken the time to talk and discuss with them?   To make them realize that they are not alone, that we are here to listen to them.   I have walked with them and shared my feelings with them Obviously this work is innovative and I have also gained a lot while bringing changes in their lives.   I never want to gain rewards for my social work because I know I’ll receive it from God one day.   My work was never appreciated but personally, I am satisfied myself by bringing change to their attitude and lives.

ALL I WANT IS TO RAISE MY VOICE INTERNATIONALLY FOR THEIR RIGHTS; FOR THEIR FREEDOM; TO SHARE WHAT THEY WANT; I WANT TO SHARE MY EXPERIENCES; THE PROBLEMS THAT THEY ARE FACING AND WANT TO GIVE MY IDEAS HOW TO REDUCE THESE PROBLEMS.

I am just waiting for the platform to raise my voice and I wish that this international competition would help me to share my feelings with other delegates soon.

This work is innovative itself. Meeting different children, counseling them, meeting their parents, asking about their needs, loving them, caring for them.  Thus everything was magical and innovative. It has made me aware of their problems, about their needs and this work has changed my whole life too. I have tried my level best to work innovatively but  my efforts would be more innovative if these ideas would be implemented by every community by joining hands with me as these ideas could only be possible to be addressed, if every society, every community will join their hands with me.

  • Inclusive education should be made compulsory in every school as the part of their curriculum.

  • An awareness campaign for student’s parent’s teacher should be raised in every community.

  • Their needs should be addressed.

  • Awareness should be made through telecasting movies and drama on their issues.

  • Special students should not be called SPECIAL.

  • Competition should be raised in every community for younger students to make them aware about them and their rights.

  • They must get rights to study in normal schools with special needs.

  • Government should set up a new curriculum for them.

  • Psychological testing should be made compulsory to identify their needs and area of attention.

  • They must get work place opportunities, which is currently lacking in Pakistan . They must get jobs in government institutions also.

I CAN IMPROVE MY IMPACT:

  • By participating in international competitions to raise awareness.

  • By participating in awareness campaigns.

  • I want to do more courses. I want to study more about them and I want to write a book named I Adore Special People why don’t you?  in order to make this whole world aware of their rights.

  • By developing new curriculum for them the national policy level.

  • By providing them educational facilities and social justice.

  • I can improve my impact more by raising funds for them and by finding more work place opportunities for them.

  • By becoming the Ambassador for Special People in Pakistan .

  • By truly implementing the human right laws made by UN.

  • By motivating them more enthusiastically.

  • By appreciating them to participate in more International contests.

  • I am now planning to design a teaching curriculum which will be integrated with audio visual aids and I also want to arrange a workshop for community students, teachers, parents and everyone to raise awareness of their problems.

Youth must also devote their time to listen and care for special people. Youth must help me to find work place for them. Youth must raise awareness in every one of their own families about their rights.  Youth must try to seek out the problems which they are facing. Youth must love them and respect them like I do, in every aspect of life and must learn something from their lives.  Youth must learn from my experience that my struggle is the struggle of one and if they join hand in hand then no matter what, special students can also become the part of our lives.

 

Teaching As A Career

By: Munir Moosa Sewani

Education is considered as “The Green Passport” of our future.

A person who gets a professional qualification and acquires a high degree gets ready acceptance worldwide with an open arm.  The profession which was on, is on, and would be continued forever is the profession of teaching, which is one of the most noble and leading of careers in today’s world.

The growing demand of teachers is hovering in every field of life internationally, whether it's school, college, university, organization, Multinational company or else where.  Teaching is the only profession which gives the greatest and the multi-dimensional opportunities of career to an individual.

The developing countries now recognize that teaching requires the dedicated leadership of professional specialists to mold the future of the next generation.

Teaching is the specialized field of education, and it requires proper education, training and inborn adoration for children. It’s not an easy profession. Time has gone when those who did not get good job opportunities shifted themselves in the field of teaching in order to earn livelihood. Today, teaching is the professional liberal art field. Teaching requires skills that can be brought out by taking professional certifications or degree courses.

Teaching involves being with children or with colleagues to design syllabi or problem solving too.

In the field of Education/Teaching, you can become a Principal , Vice Principal, Deputy Head Teacher, Section Head, Co-ordinator, Supervisor, Teacher Educator, Educational Psychologist, Student Counselor, Curriculum Developer or Researcher, Special Educator, Language Co-ordinator, Recruitment Manager, Writer, Programme Officer, Montessori Directress, Lecturer, Subject Specialist, Journalist and so on.

Its not a profession of last resort; it’s a profession of dedication.

Pay scale

A person who adopts a career in education gets the starting salary from 3000 rupees to 300 thousand rupees nationally and anywhere from 1000-50,000 dollars internationally.

Qualification requirement:

The best qualification which suits a teacher is at least Graduate or Post Graduate with specialization in the subject over which they command (like education, psychology etc.)

Certificate courses are additional advantages for the post of Teacher and Asst Teacher.

For Montessori directress, at least Certificate/Diploma in Montessori is