Global Teacher Prize 2016 - Top Ten Finalists | Page 8

Hanan Al Haroub
Samiha Khalil High School, Al-Bireh, Palestine

Hanan grew up in the Palestinian refugee camp, Bethlehem, where she was regularly
exposed to acts of violence. She went into primary education after her children were
left deeply traumatised by a shooting incident they witnessed on their way home
from school. Her experiences in meetings and consultations to discuss her children’s
behaviour, development and academic performance in the years that followed led
Hanan to try to help others who, having grown up in similar circumstances, require
special handling at school.

With so many troubled children in the region, Palestinian classrooms can be tense
environments. Hanan embraces the slogan ‘No to Violence’ and uses a specialist
approach she developed herself, detailed in her book, ‘We Play and Learn’. She
focuses on developing trusting, respectful, honest and affectionat