My name is Golnoosh, and I am an English language educator, based inTehran. Language teaching has been my professional passion for over twelve years now, a journey that constantly evolves and teaches me. For almost a year, I’ve had the distinct pleasure of collaborating with Coempowered, an organisation whose work I’ve come to deeply respect.
Looking back on my experience with this nonprofit, even within this relatively brief timeframe of nearly a year, it has been an incredibly awesome and enriching period.
It has transcended the typical teacher-student dynamic; it’s been fundamentally about forging genuine human connections.
The classes have provided me with invaluable insights into diverse livedexperiences, offering perspectives and understandings that I, personally,might never have encountered otherwise.
As a result, I feel I’ve developed a truly special bond with my students, one built on mutual respect, curiosity, and a shared enthusiasm for learning. In fact, I often leave our sessions feeling that I am the one who has learned the most!
My students are consistently impressive – they are remarkably well-read, possess sharp, inquisitive minds, and approach every discussion with a refreshing open-mindedness.
Their intellectual engagement and the visible progress they make constantly inspire me; they genuinely push me to improve myself, to keep learning and refining my own approaches just to keep pace with their growth.
Beyond the structured learning, one of the aspects I cherish most is thevibrant, spontaneous exchange of culture and ideas that happens in everysession. I don’t just leave class having imparted knowledge; I leave having received so much in return – countless thoughtful suggestions for books I absolutely must read, films and series to explore, and often, incredibly interesting and unique interpretations of this content from their perspectives.
Sharing what excites and moves us, is undoubtedly one of the parts I love most about our classes.
So, to summarise, if I were to capture the essence of what I’ve gained from collaborating with Coempowered so far, it would undoubtedly be the profound human connections I’ve been privileged to make and the deep appreciation gained from getting to know individuals from such wonderfully diverse backgrounds and cultures. Coupled with this is the constant, reciprocal learning. This experience continues to enrich my professional practice and my personal life in ways I hadn’t fully anticipated, and I’m truly grateful for this ongoing opportunity.
Golnoosh Mahjoob
