During 2019 and 2021, the rapid spread of the Coronavirus has left everyone with no choice but to seek safety and isolate themselves in the confines of their homes. Educators, administrators, service providers, parents, and students around the world felt the ripple effect of the novel coronavirus as schools shut down amid the public health emergency.  

The closure of schools, colleges, and universities has disrupted the flow of learning for students and the existing method of imparting knowledge across the world. According to the (UNESCO, 2020b) report, even for students, teachers, and parents in countries with reliable infrastructure and internet access, the rapid transition to online learning has been challenging.

As part of the "Don’t Stop Learning Innovation Award," Teach For Lebanon held a competition in September 2022, for teachers who have taken the initiative to design and implement innovative educational strategies compatible with blended and remote learning, that have helped students acquire and develop the skills and knowledge needed. 38 teachers from different schools distributed over 5 governorates in Lebanon (Bekaa, Mount Lebanon, North, South, and Beirut) submitted their projects.

The competition was  open to all teachers across Lebanon, and announced on all TFL’s social media platforms: Poster

In an effort to maintain a fair and transparent selection process, a specialized committee was formed. The committee consisted of 4 members, Mr. Mohammad Houssari, TFL Chief Operating Officer, Ms. Farah Abou Maita, TFL Head of Education Department, Ms. Ghina Hallik the "Idaat for Art" founder, and Ms. Pamela Hindi, TFL MEAL Coordinator. 

The projects underwent a preliminary screening process based on a specific rubric designed by the committee to filter out the qualified ones. The final screening of the projects culminated in the selection of the 10 best projects out of the 16 qualified projects (the first three winners plus the other seven winners). 

To celebrate the winning teachers, TFL held a ceremony on the 26th of November, 2022 at Haigazian University, where the 10 winning teachers, their guests, committee members, and the Teach For Lebanon team attended. A valuable set of prizes was distributed to the winning teachers. 

The first winner of the competition is Abbas Maana, a TFL Cohort 8 alumni and Math coordinator at Smart College, designed a tool for students to learn by watching a video (a film acted by their main teacher, an integration of film, comedy, concrete materials, lightboard, etc.) to cover a session of explaining a new concept and direct application of it in math. Check his project here: First Prize Winning Project

The second winner is Ms. Diala Temraz, an English teacher at Al Irfan High School. Ms. Temraz created a Youtube channel “Learn with Diala Youtube Channel” where she uploads her own educational videos related to grammar, comprehension, and writing skills, in addition to motivational videos and themes related to their lessons. She is looking forward to getting verified by the YouTube company soon since the number of subscribers is growing every day. Check her project here: Second Prize Winner Project

The third winner is Miss Joelle Feghal, a teacher at Collège Elysée who implemented several projects with her students that mainly focused on students gaining values and life skills like empathy, resilience, perseverance, and acceptance. Check her project here: Third Prize Winner 

This competition has shown that teachers are the bedrock of the education system. No matter the challenges that their students face, they are willing to go the extra mile to face all the odds to help their students acquire the skills needed to learn.