To be able to impart peace, Jamellah Alih found that one should be able to foster peace within themselves first.
When Doubt Disturbs One’s Peace of Mind
For Jamellah, fulfilling the role of teaching continues after the usual lessons within classrooms. They pass on to their students the values of compassion and gratefulness. These acts of kindness motivated their students to create thank-you cards that the teacher uploaded to their social media accounts.
However, recalling an instance when a parent went to the school to attack them, Jamellah found themselves doubting their capability as a teacher. Without warning, the parent went straight to the student who was said to be bullying their child. The teacher tried to intervene and mediate between the parent and the child, only for them to become the center of the blame. The enraged parent made Jamellah feel insecure about their responsibility and that they should be held accountable for the accusations.
After this experience, Jamellah always felt that a parent or a child would suddenly come and attack them. They placed themselves in an uncomfortable position of self-doubt and extreme criticism of their actions. The stress brought by the encounter also brought them fatigue and loss of appetite.
The culture of hate and violence can manifest in various forms, including self-hatred brought by doubt and insecurity. Studies show that among the drivers of violent extremism are the individual motivations and processes which become ‘pull factors’ for them to be vulnerable to violent behavior. Jamellah’s experience of contempt for oneself can bring them to mirror that hate toward others.
Rediscovering The Passion
When they joined the Peace Education Leadership Formation Course of the Teach Peace Build Peace Movement, she became aware of protecting one’s inner peace through meditation, mindfulness, and cyber peace. They started to focus on protecting their inner peace and found ways to cultivate a peaceful environment for themselves.
At one time, Jamellah was scrolling through social media when they found an album filled with thank-you cards from their past students. These posts reminded them why they took a teaching profession – for the children. To keep this drive, they found protecting their inner peace an essential part of sustainability.
Soon, they became more aware of their thoughts and actions in face-to-face interactions and online conversations. The content they posted and shared was sensitive to other people’s feelings. They also ensured that these posts were not misleading or instigating negative discussions.
Learning that conflict will always be a part of life, Jamellah now faced these struggles with deep breaths and an open mind. They know that how they think, see, feel, and hear will always reflect the peace values they want to impart to their students.
“Since the teacher is at the core of every classroom, it is important that a teacher also protects and nurtures their inner peace.“
