Palestinian teacher wins $1 million Global Teacher Prize

[bemildred]

UBAI, United Arab Emirates — A Palestinian primary school teacher who grew up in a refugee camp won a $1 million prize for teaching excellence on Sunday, beating out 8,000 other applicants from around the world.

Hanan al-Hroub, who teaches in the West Bank city of al-Bireh just outside Ramallah, was awarded the second annual Global Teacher Prize during a ceremony in the city of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was on-hand to present the prize to al-Hroub, however her name was announced by Pope Francis in a video message after he talked about the importance of education and teachers, especially for children who grow up amid war.

“I feel amazing and I still can’t believe that the Pope said my name,” al-Hroub told The Associated Press. “For an Arab, Palestinian teacher to talk to the world today and to reach the highest peak in teaching could be an example for teachers around the world.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/palestinian-teacher-wins-1-million-global-teacher-prize/2016/03/13/f3d6ea72-e943-11e5-a9ce-681055c7a05f_story.html

[MinnieBlum]

1. Palestinian teacher

Beautiful victory. She was born and grew up in a West Bank refugee camp, in the most atrocious circumstances imaginable. Growing up in a favela in Brazil is comfortable and secure in comparison. And her great gift is that she has taught children who live surrounded by violence and the threat of violence and the temptation to give in and become part of that violence, the gift of learning how to play. Sounds so simple and is so very, very difficult for children thrown since birth into a maelstrom.

As Bill Clinton said in his very eloquent speech addressing the 10 finalists for the prize: "You don't hear it often enough, but your work is truly heroic." Particularly, of course, in a zone of perpetual war.

[Little Tich]

2. Very nice. Congratulations! n/t