My name is Dunia Moalim. I am currently a Middle Grades Math Teacher. I am the 7th Grade Math Department Chair at my school. I am the point of communication between all seventh grade math teachers, collaborating with other grade level chairs sharing effective strategies and planning tools. What inspires me is knowing that I am making a difference in my community. Today, I can easily name the teachers I had in elementary, middle and high school that made a difference in my life and others. My goal is to be that role model or mentor, or even just a cool teacher that students that can relate to, talk to, and trust. Some children don’t have that type of relationship with an adult when they leave school, so it makes me happy seeing students’ faces fill with relief or joy when I walk through the door. I pride myself on trying to bridge the gap between students and teachers by creating open communication. Students learn best when they feel they can relate to the teacher and their experience.
Another important value I hold high in my career is diversity. Promoting diversity is also very important to me in my classroom and school culture. Being someone who doesn’t fit the norm, I continue to transform the way students think as I set a good example of an educator. Teaching students to be culturally aware of different people’s practices, traditions, and backgrounds supports a safe classroom environment with inclusion.
Outside of teaching, I am middle child who enjoys fashion design, travel, and lifestyle blogging. A funny thing about me is, as much as I love building great relationships with my students, I try to maintain some mystery about myself. I find humor in students guessing things about me because I want students to know how silly making assumptions about people are. For example, students always ask about my age. At the end of the year, I like to present a complex, multi-step math problem that will lead students to my age as the answer. It challenges them, and it entertains me.