TE818

INTRODUCTION:

My name is Lamya Beydoun and this will be one of my last three classes before I finish my masters in teaching and curriculum.
I was born in Colombia, and moved to the United States when I was 17. I am of Lebanese descend and my personality is definitely a mix between the two cultures.
I moved to Doha, Qatar on 2009 with my one daughter at the time and my husband. Since then, a lot has changed professionally and I had a boy that is now one and a half. My daughter is almost seven (WOW!). It is amazing how a little girl can change your life forever! She is our little miracle. She has down syndrome and it has been a pretty emotional, challenging but incredibly rewarding journey. Our son is the light of our eyes and keeps us very busy. It is crazy how different raising a girl and a boy is (energy wise!) My two kids take most of my time and I often feel blessed for teaching internationally and this great experience, but miss my family back in America terribly. We go back every summer for two months. Actually, we just made it back and are still a bit jet lagged!
I graduated from the University of Michigan in Dearborn with a major in science and a minor in math. My sister in law helped me get a job right away abroad. Since then, I have taken a couple of classes at a time and I am very excited to be almost done with my masters.
A lot has happened professionally while working at my school. This will be my fifth year and I can still remember my first day ever as a teacher, I still get the same feeling a couple of days before students walk into the room.
I started as a middle school science teacher at a school for students with learning disabilities. This is not your regular school. Our students are very rich, struggling academically and ELA students that often have behavior problems. A mix that can potentially be very challenging and rewarding. After only my first year of teaching, I was hired as a coordinator for the middle school as well as a teacher. After that, I was a teacher leader for a couple of years and now I am an instructional coach (out of the classroom, working with supporting teachers with academic strategies and program supplementation). Looking back at this crazy experience, I remember how difficult it was to start at a place like this, with a population like this in a middle school out of all ages, but it was all worth it!
I am very happy where I am both professionally and in my personal life, there is always room for growth but I am enjoying every minute of my crazy life.
I love all technology implementation tools, I wish I could have done a video for this assignment, but the internet in this country is not very reliable and I wasn't able to do it.
Also, this is the first week of orientation at work, so you can only imagine how CRAZY it has been! First year I've had to work until very late trying to get ready for that first day of school. Coaching is definitely a totally new experience.