Qatar Academy’s ongoing motivational series by counselor and radio personality Abdulrahman Al Harami resumed with a talk on ‘The Value of Smiling’ delivered to the Grade 4 and 5 students, followed by a Qatar heritage talk by Rawda Al Ameri, a Social and Cultural Projects educator, the next day.
The talk cantered on the premise that ‘smiling is the bridge to the hearts, a simple act that can light the hearts of other people, impacting their lives and earning a reward from Allah,’ Al Harami shares. It was a refreshing reminder as students start settling back into their regular school day rhythm.
Academic Coordinator Doa’a Abu Joudeh, says that the talk was a timely welcome to the students to launch a contest within the Arabic and Islamic Studies Department. “This was presented to motivate the students to actively participate in a simple contest of making at least 3 people smile every day. We are glad that the students received it well and are happy and excited to begin the challenge”.
‘The Value of Smiling’ is actually part of a set of special days scheduled throughout the school year. The program began last school year through the Boys Camp organized by Senior School Assistant Principal Maha Al Romaihi.
According to Al Harami the goal is “to help the youth to speak up and share their feelings in a comfortable environment where someone from their own culture can fully understand them. That’s why we have a special day called ‘The Value Day’ where all students are encouraged to freely share and discuss the issues that they face. It is similar to Al Majlis, a place where people from the same neighbourhood gather to talk about different subjects. In QA, students will come up with a topic and we all have a chat about it, identifying the problem or issue and then giving them the chance to solve their problems on their own”.
Combined with parent education workshops, professional development session for teachers and educational trips, the programme has garnered support from the QA community and has been instrumental in improving the students’ role in their own growth and education.
Al Harami attributes the programme’s expansion to a simple belief that “if we need to develop the educational growth and academic standing of the students, we need to focus on the child first. The practical use of the values presented during these talks will help them in school and life and our role is to support them all the way”.
The Peninsula
