Teacher helped 'aggressive child' transform by books

Abu Dhabi: While receiving the award from Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, the recipient said she remembered a little boy known as a "bully" who was later transformed by books.

Azza Al Awadi, 26, an Emirati English teacher in Ras Al Khaimah was one of the 28 recipients of Khalifa Award for Education 2009-2010, instituted to reward the efforts of those who excel in the education field.

A total of Dh1,750,000 in cash was given to winners in 13 categories, chosen from 259 applicants from across the Arab world.

Al Awadi was awarded for designing a programme to develop reading habits among schoolchildren in grades 2 to 4.

"I remember the faces of little boys who were known as bullies, but reading transformed them," she said after the award ceremony at National Documentation and Research Centre in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

Dignitaries including Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Education Humaid Mohammad Obaid Al Qutami, and Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) Director General Dr Mugheer Al Khaili attended the function.

Shaikh Mansour congratulated the winners for their contribution to education.

Al Awadi hesitated to call the little boys "bullies".

"They are so small … so I can't call them ‘bullies' but there were complaints about them disturbing the class mates," said the teacher who implemented the reading programme in two schools — Madares Al Ghad Eben Dhaher Elementary School and Zam Zam School in Ras Al Khaimah.

"After reading the stories Charlie and Lola by Lauren Child, the boy [who was known as a bully] told me he learned not to express anger but to share the feelings with his friends," Al Awadi said.

The stories' morale of sharing and love transformed the boy.

Al Awadi graduated from Ras Al Khaimah Women's College, and completed a Master's Degree in Human Resource Management from Middlesex University in the United Kingdom.

She said she had noticed that most of the "aggressive" boys were spending a lot of time with computer games, but reading made them calm and quiet.

Omair Ali Farghal, 35, a Science and Maths teacher from Egypt said the new system of education in Abu Dhabi encouraged children to learn independently.

Ali Farghal was awarded for his contribution to the "Al Ghad Schools" project which encouraged teaching Maths and Science in English.

The project prompted the children to collect the information themselves from internet and libraries, he said.