Today, she shares her experiences from those first few months: the surprises, the unique interactions with students, and the moments where she found herself learning just as much as they did.
Inspire through accessibility, not hierarchy
“After a lecture, a student came up to me and said she finally truly understood the subject. She said that my lessons had helped her gain more motivation and self-confidence,” Oumaima shares. The realization that she offers more than just knowledge means she has no intention of quitting her role as a lecturer anytime soon. Now, with a few lectures under her belt, she feels more confident in front of a full lecture hall, genuinely enjoying teaching and her own growth. Oumaima says, “Teaching is a skill you only truly develop through practice, daring to make mistakes, and learning from experiences.”
For her, teaching is all about accessibility, even more than hierarchy. She believes that respect and an open attitude go hand in hand. In her view, vulnerability is a strength: “It’s okay to admit when you don’t know something about your own subject. It creates an opportunity to revisit a question later and learn together.” And her approach is clearly paying off.
Fresh graduate? Surely she can’t teach, right?
The leap to lecturer felt to Oumaima like “a kind of strange transformation,” she explains. “I swapped the student seats straight for the front of the room, so I have both perspectives fresh in my mind. What I notice now is that students mostly need structure when explaining complex legal topics. And that’s something you still understand well when you’ve just graduated.”
Of course, this leap came with some nerves: “At first, I was worried that students might not take me seriously or think I couldn’t teach because I’d only just graduated.” To her relief, the opposite turned out to be true after her first lecture: students appreciated that they could relate to her. “This lowered the barrier for them to ask questions. It really contributes to a safe and open learning environment. However, you still need to maintain the boundary between lecturer and student. Set clear expectations. That way, students know where they stand, which immediately builds more respect.”
Oumaima quickly realised that the role of lecturer involves more than one might initially think: “I knew it would be a big responsibility, but as a student, you mostly see teaching as giving lectures and sharing knowledge. In reality, there’s so much more to it. Preparing the material and guiding students, connecting with them – it really is a separate skill,” she explains. “It was an eye-opener for me, but a valuable one. It definitely takes time and energy, but the bond you build with students makes it more than worthwhile.”
