3 Routes to Liberation: Beyond the Curriculum

As many of us step into a new school year and season, it’s now been almost two years of ongoing and unconscionable violence, bearing witness to atrocities that become more depraved by the day.

As educators, especially if you are part of Well Teachers in any way, we know that we don’t live separate from these realities and they cannot be ignored.

They weigh on us, they shape us, and they remind us that the systems we work in — schools, curricula, institutions — are far from neutral. Sometimes they show us that we ourselves may be part of the problem.

I was never taught about occupation in my years of schooling in the UK. Not once did I learn about the Balfour Declaration, the formation of Israel, or the long history that led to where we are today. And by omission, I often get this sense that I was lied to.

I now think that any curriculum that fails to teach about the realities of this specific part of history is a failed curriculum.

But while we cannot fully change deeply entrenched systems overnight, we can still do something with what we have available to us, wherever we are.

And in this spirit, I want to share three subtle but powerful ways I feel we can move towards liberation.

1. Begin with yourself: Know who you are

I still remember being asked in an interview years ago, “But where are you really from?” and feeling reluctant, even ashamed, to acknowledge that I was Pakistani. Imagine!

Since then, I have found one of the most radical things you can do as an educator is to understand yourself and your heritage deeply. Your identity, your story, your roots — these do shape how you show up for your students.

For me, this started with something as simple as finally understanding my name and where it comes from. That led me into exploring family history, identity, and the places my ancestors once lived. It wasn’t always comfortable. Today, I feel a deep pride in those roots. That shift didn’t happen overnight, but it began with claiming and understanding my own story.

When we are clear and peaceful about ourselves, our students absorb that, as if by osmosis. Being able to stand firm and say who you are - in words, dress, as well as behaviour, is so powerful.

“Knowing how to be solitary is central to the art of loving. When we can be alone, we can be with others without using them as a means of escape.” - Bell Hooks

Knowing who you are is a part of the foundation for helping students know who they are.

2. Choose words that inspire

“Education either functions as an instrument to bring about conformity or freedom. The choice is ours.” Paulo Freire

In my social media work, I’ve noticed that consistently speaking about liberation has caused me to be bold and clear without being censored. Liberation is both collective and individual, and is largely a positive word, so bringing it into our teaching language gives students permission to dream - and discuss - bigger.

Words do matter. Some words: occupation, genocide, resistance, can feel heavy, politicized, or unsafe to say openly in classrooms.

But 'liberation'... now I find that this is a word that uplifts. It inspires. It is expansive. It creates curiosity.

I’ve found that framing discussions around liberation creates space for creativity and dialogue. Liberation is not just political — it’s also personal.

Consider what makes you feel liberated.

For me, I often feel liberated simply by stopping my work and stepping barefoot onto the grass in my garden even for just a few minutes.

At other times, it's been being able to say out loud what my views are on the atrocities.

And at other times still, how liberating it feels to simply change into my comfy clothes at home.

Liberation is a bright and wonderful spectrum that allows for good discussions to take place.

So what does liberation feel like for a student? What would liberation look like in their daily lives? For the lives of others? On the spectrum of living in danger zones, poverty, as compared to their own lives? These questions can open up rich conversations without triggering the defensiveness that often comes with throwing charged terms around.

3. Liberate your own time and energy

I’ve seen that people who, in my view, live very fulfilling lives, are often those who have a lot of space and time for hobbies, passions, and joy beyond their work. I say this more and more these days, but I believe wealth is as much about money as it is about time, energy, and freedom to explore what lights you up. They're all interconnected.

So one low-key entry way into liberation is to live it in your own schedule.

For me, one hobby that has led to an unexpected sense of liberation has been archery. Over the past couple of years, archery has shifted from something I tried out of curiosity to something that shapes my lifestyle. I find that in professional settings, the conversation turns fast to my love and interest in archery, more so than it lingers on my work in teaching or training. It’s become a point of inspiration for girls around me, a way to connect with ancestry, and a source of deep joy.

By liberating your schedule to include hobbies, you’re showing students that life is more than work and grades. I am constantly telling the younger students around me that grades are not the be all end all, especially in this world. When you have a life filled with meaningful pursuits of hobbies outside of teaching, you model to them a fuller, freer way of living. And why is this so powerful? Because it is a radical form of self care - and to paraphrase Audre Lorde: “Caring for yourself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political warfare.”

In summary

We may not always be able to overhaul entire curricula or dismantle unjust systems overnight. But we can begin with three subtle acts of liberation:

• Understanding ourselves and our roots - starting with our names, our stories, our identities.

• Framing conversations in terms of liberation - shifting our language to inspire curiosity and creativity.

• Liberating our own time - pursuing a fun filled, expansive life. Hobbies are a practical way to start.

Each of these can contribute to a bigger shift. As teachers, we are not just passing on knowledge; we're often the only adults children and youth are close to outside of their families. So whether we realise it or not, we shape how they see the world and what they see to be possible. They either see within us conformity, or freedom.

So as we begin this new school year, here’s a question to ponder:

In what ways will you weave liberation into your daily life and teaching in this new year?

UAE - a stable in Abu Dhabi. My time with horses, bows and arrows led to unexpected sense of liberation in so many forms.