A passionate early childhood educator from Pakistan, I was privileged to have spent my formative childhood years in Cairo, Egypt and Paris, France. The quality schooling I received, proved to be the solid base that helped me overcome a multitude of challenges on the way.

I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from NUST Business School, situated in one of the world’s most beautiful capital cities, Islamabad, my hometown. After nearly seven years of being in the early childhood sector in Pakistan, I have come to the University of Massachusetts to earn a M.Ed. in Child Study and Early Education as a Fulbright Scholar.

My first teaching experience with children dates back to 2005, when I taught a French Language summer course at the Alliance Française in Islamabad. Several odd jobs later, I returned to teaching toddlers in 2012, as I realized that this truly is my passion.

What we, as adults, often fail to understand is that the right type of interactions at a young age can fundamentally boost a child’s development. An overall neglect of early childhood education prevails in the Pakistani society. Not only is there a dearth of academic training in ECE, it’s a career path that our side of the world looks down upon. My primary objective is to change that mindset one day, by becoming an exemplar caregiver by teaching better in the classroom and also inspiring others to give their best for the education sector of Pakistan. In order to achieve that, designing and implementing teacher training and creating a more innovative and child-centered curriculum are goals I wish to accomplish in five years after my return.

Within ten years, I see myself fulfilling my ultimate dream of establishing a state-of-the-art preschool and kindergarten in Pakistan. Under the mentorship and guidance of learned professors at the Center for International Education (CIE) and inspirational exchanges with peers from around the world, I hope to establish a lifelong network that would facilitate me academically and professionally for years to come. [11-19]

Email: mnoor@umass.edu