A teacher's influence does not end at the classroom door. It lives on in the experiences, values, and practices left with students and colleagues - and in individual lessons that can be absorbed by entire schools and the broader education system.
اضافة اعلان
As Jordan marks World Teachers' Day on 5 October, the Queen Rania Award for Educational Excellence Association has adopted 'We are an extension of our teachers' as this year's theme. The slogan is intended to evoke the influence of past teachers on those who now teach, and what today's teachers pass on to future generations.
The association's executive director, Lubna Touqan, said the decision to launch the association on World Teachers' Day in 2005 was deliberate: the teacher is both the centre of the association's work and its ultimate purpose. She noted that the association was founded as a royal initiative by His Majesty King Abdullah II and Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah.
Speaking to Al Ghad, Touqan said the association began with the teacher before expanding its programmes and awards to cover the full range of education sector staff and institutions - from individual excellence to that of schools, directorates, and kindergartens.
On this year's campaign theme, Touqan said the idea starts from the teacher's role in shaping students' characters and from the experiences and values individuals gain from their families and teachers. 'We, as an association, are an extension of our teachers,' she said. 'Our story began with their excellence, and by their influence our journey continues.'
She added that the association began with the teacher - whom she called 'the harbinger of good' - and had since grown to encompass school principals, educational leaders, guidance counsellors, and educational institutions including school directorates and kindergartens.
Touqan said excellence awards had become 'a path of sustained development and a map for distinction, a methodology that turns obstacles into achievements and an ambition with no ceiling'. She added that a number of the association's programmes had grown from challenges identified by educators in the field, who had then proposed solutions; the association worked to develop those programmes and simplify their implementation so that more schools could benefit.
She said studies conducted in cooperation with the Ministry of Education had shown the programmes' impact in several areas, including fostering positive student behaviour, strengthening social integration, deepening students' sense of belonging and shared ownership of the school environment, and building community trust in schools.
On the participation rate, Touqan said more than 80 percent of Jordan's government schools took part in the association's awards and programmes during the 2025-2026 academic year. She said this figure reflected the education sector's engagement and underscored the importance of working directly with schools and educators, who are best placed to identify the field's needs, challenges, and solutions.
She said the association's role was to identify outstanding practices and practitioners, harness those experiences, and widen their application - transferring successful approaches to other schools and educational institutions.
On the data and expertise the association has accumulated over roughly two decades, Touqan said the association was working to manage, develop, and use that body of knowledge to support the Ministry of Education and policymakers, as well as to help educators identify their strengths and areas for improvement when they participate in the excellence awards. She noted that the data had also been used in research and studies by students at Jordanian universities.
Marking World Teachers' Day, Touqan called on teachers to participate in the excellence awards and programmes and to use them as a vehicle for sharing and developing educational practices. She said the association sought through that participation to foster a culture of excellence in Jordan's education sector and to draw on the experiences of teachers and education workers in ways that benefit students and the school environment.
She closed with a Teachers' Day greeting: 'May our teachers be well, every year.'
The experiences of award-winning teachers illustrate, in concrete terms, how educational practice can extend well beyond the classroom.
Dr Azhar Dagher, an ambassador of the Queen Rania Award for Educational Excellence and second-place winner in Category 1B nationally, said this year's theme carries deep meaning. 'Teachers do not start from zero,' she said. 'They stand on the shoulders of generations of teachers who left their mark on them - in knowledge, values, and a sense of mission.'
Dagher said every teacher today is an extension of a teacher who shaped their life, whether through a word, a stance, or an example. She said this meaning connects directly to her own experience as an award ambassador, which reinforced her conviction that a teacher's role is not simply to transfer knowledge but to plant confidence, passion, and a love of learning in students - and to give them space to discover their own abilities.
She said she feels she carries a trust from those who taught her and strives to leave a positive mark on her own students, to be part of an unbroken chain of teachers who make a difference in the lives of students and society.
On winning the award, Dagher said it was an important milestone - not only because it recognised effort, but because it prompted her to review her teaching practice more deeply and to think about the impact of what she does inside and outside the classroom. Professionally, the award gave her greater motivation to continue developing and seeking more effective teaching approaches, and it opened opportunities to learn from other outstanding educators and exchange experiences with colleagues who share the same passion.
At a personal level, Dagher said the experience reinforced her belief that sincere work, however modest it may seem, can leave a profound mark, and that genuine excellence is not the moment of winning an award but a continuous journey of learning, giving, and growth.
Among the excellence programmes she said are making a visible difference in her directorate's schools, Dagher highlighted creativity and innovation development programmes, gifted student programmes, and initiatives encouraging scientific research, competition participation, and distinctive projects. She said their impact on students is clear: stronger motivation to learn, sharper critical and creative thinking and problem-solving, greater self-confidence and a sense of responsibility, opportunities to discover and apply their talents, and a spirit of initiative, teamwork, and healthy competition.
She said the most significant value of these programmes lies in shifting students from passive recipients to active participants in learning, with measurable effects on academic attainment, personal development, creativity, and engagement in school and community life.
In her Teachers' Day message to colleagues, Dagher said: 'Thank you for choosing a profession that builds people before it builds knowledge.' She noted that a teacher may not always know the full extent of the mark left on students, and may even forget small moments shared with them, while a student carries their meaning for years.
She urged colleagues not to underestimate an encouraging word, a smile, or an opportunity given to a student to believe in themselves, and called on them to keep learning, keep developing, and hold on to their passion for the educational mission. 'The finest thing a teacher can leave behind is not only a high-achieving student, but a confident, responsible person capable of making a difference in their community,' she said, closing with the words: 'May you be well every year - the beautiful continuation of those who came before us, and the beautiful beginning of generations yet to come.'
Agricultural vocational and technical education teacher Abd Al-Rahman Al-Jawarnih, who teaches the BTEC programme, said this year's theme embodies the reality that the educational mission - carrying knowledge, values, and human influence - passes from one generation to the next, and that every teacher carries in their character and practice the mark left by their own teachers.
Al-Jawarnih, whose teaching career spans approximately 17 years, said a teacher sets out from the values, experiences, and insights gained from those who taught them, then adds their own knowledge, experience, and educational vision before passing it on to their students.
'I feel the meaning of this theme when I see my students applying what they have learned in practical situations, or when one of them chooses a vocational or agricultural career path influenced by their time in school,' he said. 'We do not only transfer knowledge - we plant values, skills, and an influence that may extend for many years.'
He said the best way to honour one's own teachers is to continue and develop their mission in ways suited to students' needs and the challenges of the future, and to give students the confidence and opportunities they need to discover their potential and achieve success.
On winning the Queen Rania Award for Educational Excellence in Category 5 - vocational and technical education (BTEC) - Al-Jawarnih said the experience was a turning point in his professional and personal journey, prompting him to review, document, and measure the impact of his teaching practice on students, the school, and the community.
He said the award reinforced in him a culture of needs-based planning, student-centred teaching, and reflective practice, and moved him from implementing initiatives to measuring their outcomes and working to develop and sustain them.
'The award taught me that excellence is not a temporary activity or an individual achievement, but a daily culture built on planning, development, documentation, and measuring impact,' he said. 'Successful teaching practice is that which clearly and visibly shapes the student's learning, character, and ability to apply what they have learned in life.'
Al-Jawarnih said winning the award was not an end point but the start of a new responsibility: maintaining the quality of his teaching practice, continuing professional development, sharing experiences with colleagues, and supporting them in building educational initiatives with genuine, lasting impact.
He said the experience gave him greater motivation to develop vocational and technical education, use practical projects in learning, and strengthen students' role as active participants in building and applying knowledge rather than passive recipients of information.
On excellence programmes in his directorate's schools, Al-Jawarnih highlighted the Queen Rania Award for Educational Excellence, the BTEC vocational and technical education programme, professional learning communities, agricultural and environmental initiatives, and innovation, entrepreneurship, and volunteering programmes.
He said the most visible impact of these programmes is students' transition from passive recipients to active participants in learning, with opportunities to apply knowledge in real-life situations and to develop planning, implementation, documentation, problem-solving, decision-making, and teamwork skills.
He said vocational and technical education programmes give students a genuine opportunity to discover their abilities and connect what they learn at school to their lives, environment, and professional future, while building their confidence and capacity to learn, work, and produce. Agricultural and environmental initiatives, he added, help students take responsibility, conserve resources, and deepen their sense of belonging to the school and community, while providing a suitable environment for experimentation, innovation, and practical problem-solving.
'The success of educational programmes is not measured solely by the number of activities carried out, but by the scale of the real and lasting change produced in the student's learning, behaviour, and ability to apply their knowledge and skills,' he said.
In his Teachers' Day message, Al-Jawarnih said: 'To my fellow teachers in our beloved country: you are makers of impact and builders of the future. What you offer every day goes beyond the textbook and the lesson period to remain present in the student's character, decisions, and future.' He added that while a teacher's efforts may not produce immediate results, and a student may forget information, they will not forget a teacher who respected them, believed in their abilities, listened to them, and gave them a fair chance to succeed.
He called on teachers to continue learning and developing, share experiences, document their achievements, and turn the challenges they face into opportunities for innovation and collaboration. He also emphasised the importance of preserving the human dimension of teaching, staying close to students and understanding their needs, and believing that every student has abilities that can be discovered and nurtured given the right support, trust, and opportunity.
He closed with an expression of loyalty and gratitude to His Majesty King Abdullah II, Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, and His Royal Highness Crown Prince Hussein bin Abdullah II for their sustained support of education and teachers, and extended thanks to the Ministry of Education, the Queen Rania Award for Educational Excellence, teachers across the country, and the press and media.
Teacher Layali Al-Mahawesh, second-place winner in Category 1 of the Queen Rania Award for Educational Excellence 2025, said this year's theme resonated deeply with her because it is her own story. She is an award-winning teacher today, but she was once a student in the very school where she won - Jumanah bint Abi Talib Basic School - 'and that in itself is a feeling beyond words', she said.
Al-Mahawesh said she learned under dedicated female teachers who showed her that teaching is a mission before it is a job. She said she feels that continuity every morning when she enters her classroom and finds herself repeating the same words her own teacher once said to her: 'You can do it.'
She said she watches her young students in the early grades imitate her way of explaining things. 'I realise I am an extension of my teachers, and they will become an extension of me,' she said. 'We are an unbroken chain of light; each teacher illuminates the way for those who follow.'
On winning the award, Al-Mahawesh said it 'was not just an award - it was an entire school'. Professionally, she said, she learned that excellence is a methodology; she moved from the idea of 'a good lesson' to 'an effective plan documented by its impact'. She said she now plans to defined standards, uses active learning and purposeful play suited to early grades, and measures the effect of every activity on her students with evidence.
She said the award made her 'a learning leader' in her school. At a personal level, it gave her confidence that a teacher's effort in the furthest corner of the classroom 'is seen and valued by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah', while also bringing with it the responsibility to be a role model for her colleagues in the Marka district and to share everything she has learned - because genuine excellence, in her view, means 'creating other outstanding people'.
In her Teachers' Day message, Al-Mahawesh said: 'To my colleagues in the field - may you be well every year, builders of the nation every year.' She urged them not to dismiss a single moment inside the classroom. 'You may not see the fruits of your efforts now, but an encouraging word and a welcoming smile can change the course of a child's life and make them a creator twenty years from now.'
She called on teachers to persevere, develop their tools, and support one another, saying: 'We work in the profession that builds all other professions, and that is an honour like no other. I am proud to be one of you.'
On excellence programmes in schools in the Marka district directorate, Al-Mahawesh said the impact has become clear. Programmes she highlighted include the Queen Rania Award for Educational Excellence, the continuing professional development programme from the Queen Rania Academy, and a range of initiatives under names she described as 'My Beautiful Environment', 'The Joy Classroom', 'Interactive Walls', 'The Digital Library', 'The Mathematics Kit', and 'The Kindergarten Kit'.
She said the impact on students is tangible. At the student level, pupils have shifted from passive recipients to active participants; student-led reading and environmental initiatives have emerged; and levels of self-confidence and classroom participation have risen, particularly in the first three grades.
'At the level of teacher and school, a culture of professional learning communities and peer observation visits has taken hold, and the school has become an attractive, safe environment - something that has directly improved attainment and behaviour,' she said.
She said excellence in the Marka district 'is no longer an individual effort but a collective culture felt by students and parents even before the teacher'.
This article was originally written in Arabic by Al Ghad for Al Ghad.
