He sat outside a closed coffee shop for internet connection.
It’s one thing to be an educator dealing with the pandemic but it’s a whole other experience to be a Lebanese one.
With the pandemic, teachers around the world have had to learn how to switch their lessons from in-class to online with very little practice. They’ve had to adapt to new technology that not all of them were familiar with before.
But in addition to that, Lebanese teachers have had to muster up divine patience for Lebanon’s infamously terrible electricity blackouts and poor internet. Frankly, Lebanese teachers are underappreciated.
One example is Saleem Saad, a sociology teacher at a high school in Sidon, south of Lebanon. When he didn’t have electricity at home, he knew what he had to do not to give up on his students or his work.
He went to lengths to make sure he could give the lesson to students who have already missed too many classes to count. Simultaneously, it’s not like one can afford to continue to miss out on work, especially during a severe economic crisis.
According to a post circulating on social media, Saad decided to grab his laptop and sit on the street, under the sun, outside of a closed coffee shop so he can get internet access.
If that’s not dedication, what is?
The961 tried to contact the teacher through one of his students. He said he would rather maintain his privacy and so we shall respectfully keep it to that.
That being said, it is regretful that Lebanese teachers have had to be put in such situations and go to such lengths in the first place.
Lebanon is home to a variety of unacknowledged heroes. Dedicated teachers like Saleem Saad are among them.
