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After completing my bachelor’s degree, I knew that my road with academia wasn’t quite over just yet. I pondered and questioned going back years after graduating, as I supplied in the school board, and eventually decided that going back for my master’s degree would be on of the best decisions I could possibly make for myself. Applying for Social Justice Education was one of the decisions that directly changed the trajectory of my career and where I saw myself going.

Completing my MEd in SJE opened the door for opportunities beyond the elementary school classroom. I can now apply to teach within college level courses, approaching education through the lens of social justice and its direct correlation to education and its influences in today’s society. I made my way back to the classroom, and can successfully integrate social justice into the classroom, while bringing forward concerns that have long been seen in the school system.

My time at OISE was met with multiple courses that were filled with knowledge and information that broadened my horizons and my understanding of the world around me. My favourite course during my time at OISE was a course with Dr. Soudeh Oladi. Her work focuses primarily on Sociology on migration and ethnicity. She approaches the topics through a lens that tackles Orientalism, politics of resistance, and ethical resistance. She brings an energy to the classroom that allows for growth, connectivity, and inquiry. Her courses are always met with assignments that stretch beyond the average, transforming into podcasts, presentations, and all forms of art that can be expressed and related directly to the topic of discussion. She regularly checks in on all her students, ensuring everyone is progressing well in the classroom and with all the course topics.

As a Palestinian Canadian, my identity was one I always found myself struggling to explain and break down to those surrounding me. The Palestinian identity is one that has been consistently rendered one of conversations and debate. My time at OISE brought forward the emphasis on identity and furthered the adamant need for recognition of Palestinian identity and statehood but also the direct implications that resistance and understanding have with social justice, and our understanding of the program. The SJE program allowed for open conversation regarding social justice, equity, diversity, human rights, and its crucial necessity in society today.

Since going to teaching, I found that attending OISE helped me in my role in the classroom as an educator but also in my understanding of what/how to approach conflict in the classroom. My role as a teacher extends beyond just teaching math, but also into empathy, dynamic roles, and critical thinking and theory. Studying SJE with an M.Ed allows to take these experiences and theories and connect them to the practical, and what it could potentially look like today in our classrooms, and further.

Reflection written by Yasmine Saddik in December 2025.