‘I know this, I just don’t know how to get YOU to know.’ I could see how difficult it was for her.’: 3 women become teachers together, ‘We are raising the future’

“Our story is set in Hamilton, Ontario Canada where a trio of women of different backgrounds decided that it was time to turn their dreams into reality. Growing up, these women understood how difficult it was for their parents to help them with their studies. Their parents did not have the materials, or the necessary methods of teaching needed to help their kids comprehend how to multiply 8 by 9, or how to write a narrative paragraph, or how to teach their young ones the meaning of empathy and kindness. These women knew their parents did their best by them, and their teachers did everything they could to help nurture these women into outstanding individuals who love to give back to their community.  We each can recall a moment in our lives where we would seek our parents’ help for certain assignments, and although they would know the material, they would not know how to deliver it to us in a manner we could understand. One of our own recalls, ‘Back when I was in high school, I can’t remember what course it was or when I took it, but I remember needing to understand structural systems for a test. I always used to leave stuff to the last minute so I ran to my mother and just begged her to help me so I could pass the test. She looked at it and really thought hard then turned to me, and I could already see the apology in her eyes, and she said, ‘I know this, I do, I just don’t know how to get you to know it.” I could see how difficult it was for her to feel this way, to want to help me but not being able to. It’s one of the moments that made me realize I want to become a teacher.’ (Nourhan, Crafts Creator). We all know and have lived through these struggles. And it is due to how our parents were raised in different countries that did not carry out the same educational system as Canada. This made us realize we would like to change that for the future generations. And so, the dream was born.

We are Noha, Esha, and Nourhan, three girls who attended secondary school together where our similar values, morals, and wishes brought us together and made our friendship stronger. We realized that we love to learn, teach, and innovate, and that we all had a common goal to become educators. We spoke of teaching at a school together where we could help young children blossom into strong members of their community. We would teach them to be independent through Montessori teachings and practices. We would encourage them to be outgoing and social by implementing group-based activities and games. As well, we would coach them on how to be kind, gracious, accepting, inclusive, respectful and understanding. Our focus would be to promote inquiry-based learning and appeal to the student’s preferred method of learning.

Eternal Bloom was the product of months of inspiration, hard work, and passion. Three women who came together in hopes of designing a platform where parents and guardians could find educational tips, creative artwork ideas, and fun worksheets for their loved ones to enjoy. Our content designer and founder, Noha Hassan, is a teacher and tutor. She has worked with a variety of ages and is an advocate for attribute development in children as she believes it is the foundation that educators build upon to help these children to grow to be kind and loving. Similarly, our crafts creator, Nourhan Hassan, is a private teacher, tutor and hoping to achieve her OCT certification. She has often thought that teaching is a form of art as it requires design, practice, inspiration and passion. Finally, our digital illustrator, Esha Ahmed, is working on attaining her certification in Montessori learning; she is a firm believer that independence leads to success and excellence. Together, these three individuals collaborate to post ideas and content that is relevant, engaging, interactive, and beneficial for all ages.

Our journey has been challenging but rewarding. Like many others, we have had highs where we have soared over obstacles and some lows where we have hit a few bumps along the way. We record these moments so that we may look back on them and learn from them or be inspired by them. It was a few weeks after our first posting when we felt we hit a roadblock as we tried to engage our audience in sharing our posts and content. It felt very difficult as we were still finding our voice and trying to expand our consumer base. We tried several promotional techniques, but we were still experiencing some difficulties. It was one of the first lows we experienced but one we would always remember as it challenged us to think outside the box and pushed us out of our comfort zone. As a result, we contacted several teaching blogs and suggested several collaborations, and this was successful, as we were able to attract a wider demographic. From then on, we would always remember that as one lives, one continues to learn.

We started this blog not knowing how far we would go but wanting to continue to help others around us. We try to implement themes that revolve around a special time of the year. As many of you may know, Ramadan started on the 13th of April 2021. Ramadan is a treasured and celebrated month for Muslims as it is a time when the rewards for good deeds are multiplied exponentially. Muslims gather for this month and fast from dawn until sunset. It is a time of generosity, kindness, and piousness. As such, we decided to start a 10-Days Acts of Kindness Challenge to encourage children to go out and celebrate Ramadan by helping others as their faith asks them to.

We spent weeks brainstorming and searching for Acts of Kindness that would be feasible and safe during the pandemic restrictions but would also be simple and rewarding so that kids of all ages could participate in the challenge. We enjoyed the feedback from parents as they spoke of the Acts of Kindness their kids performed and their joy at seeing their children so excited to be kind and generous with their time and efforts. One of our most cherished memories is when we received a video from a mother showing her child performing his own act of kindness, smile! The Prophet Muhammed of Islam, peace and blessing be upon him, once stated that smiling is an act of kindness and preached that smiling at another person is a good deed. The mother was so happy that she wanted to share the news with us. It was so sweet and so rewarding and one of our best memories to date.

As educators, we believe that teachers are responsible for nurturing children. As children start to attend school full time, they spend more time with their teachers and school staff than at home with their parents. Teachers see the children at their worst, at their best, at their strongest, and at their most vulnerable times. And so, it is important to instill the right values and morals in children from an early age. In doing so, we raise children that are more aware of issues around them, we plant the seed of empathy in each and every one of them, and these children are more prone to wanting to give back to their community.

As some may recognize, most children are visual learners, and they can be very perceptive, which is why we must be role models and practice what we preach. We try to do so by practicing our own acts of kindness before posting them on our blog. As well, we start our days with positive affirmations to be kind and patient always. We have learned through experience and time that out of all the attributes we remember about our students, those stand out are those with kind and soft hearts. Thus, we think that before we teach our kids the importance of reading, writing, and mathematical operations, we must show them the significance of being nice, modest, empathetic, and trustworthy. We are raising the future of this earth and we must do it well.

We are thankful to all those who stood by us; family, friends, teachers around the globe, parents, and our first customers. One small comment of encouragement can go a long way and increases our confidence and satisfaction towards this project! Every one of these individuals took it upon themselves to spread the word, advertise, and make an effort to support us in any way they can. We are immensely grateful to those who trusted in us and purchased our products and later provided excellent reviews and demanding more! Sometimes, it just takes one person for the business to grow and prosper.

So, to all those who have a dream, go after it and work for it. Eternal Bloom began with one, collective dream but grew through hard work, devotion, and struggles. There will be highs and there will be lows, but you must focus on what is really important. Take the time, do the work, and hope for the best always. Trust in yourself and trust in the people around you. The world is full of people who wish for you to succeed and grow. We are some of those people. As our act of kindness today, we are sending out well wishes and thoughts to every person who wants to start working on their future. We wish you the best of luck and we are letting you know that we support you. Remember, your future does not begin until you take the first step in the direction you wish to go.”