Get To Know Yasmina El-Watar
Written by Laurel Peterson, Former Student on Thursday, November 3, 2016
Yasmina El-Watar has taught at Snohomish High School for the past two years.
When in high school she attended Saint Joseph de l'apparition. This is a historic institute that has existed for over 166 years, established in 1847. It was founded by the five sisters of the Malta house in Beirut. El-Watar described this catholic, all-girls school as very strict. No sandals were allowed without socks and uniforms could not be above the knee. Yet, she has happy memories of her early school years with her friends, with whom she had a lot of fun (and drama).
At this stage of her life she wanted to be an electrical engineer, a job that appealed to her interests. She enjoyed math and science, her favorite subject being physics. In pursuing a teaching career she studied both of these areas extensively.
Before coming to Snohomish High School, El-Watar taught at American of Beirut Lab, also in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, and is considered historically significant. It was founded by Dr. David Bliss, an American evangelical missionary, and was chartered in New York in 1863. Construction began in 1871, and ever since has been dedicated to the expansion and understanding of the fields of medicine and science.
El-Watar taught three years of high school in Lebanon and seven years in Saudi Arabia in Riyadh, the capital of the Riyadh Providence. Although separated by many miles El-Watar said that her students in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia are similar to her pupils at SHS. After all, “kids will be kids,” said El-Watar.
The main differences were that the schools that she taught in prior to Snohomish were private and differed in curriculum. Depending on region select math classes were taken at different grade levels.
Outside of school and work life she walks, reads, and cooks, along with spending time with her two kids. Her favorite subjects to teach are physics and math.
