🗨️ Dr. Laura M., Associate Director of Learning Design, Georgetown University

"Asmaa has a keen eye for identifying areas of improvement...She demonstrated both organizational and collaborative competence...providing a more efficient and effective experience for instructors looking to improve upon their teaching skills. Her dedication and hard work are also evident in her online faculty development certification facilitation, showcasing her ability to meaningfully engage with other educators."

🗨️Hanan A., Middle School Teacher:

"I had the incredible privilege of working alongside Asmaa when I first began my journey as a full-time teacher. From day one, she was one of my role models — the epitome of passion, purpose, and grace in the field of education. Her leadership, guidance, and unwavering commitment to excellence left a lasting impression on me and so many others. Asmaa is not only a seasoned educator, but she also brings a rare combination of deep pedagogical knowledge and genuine heart to everything she does. Her ability to design and deliver impactful instructional strategies while grounding them in Islamic values is something I continue to admire deeply.

One of the most beautiful things about Asmaa is her ability to make children feel seen, heard, loved, and inspired. She creates an environment where students genuinely want to learn and grow. I’ve personally witnessed former students seek her out years after graduating — a testament to the lasting impact she has on their lives. It warms my heart and continues to inspire my own teaching journey.

When I learned about her work as the founder of Reach & Teach, it made perfect sense; this was the natural next step in her journey. Asmaa has empowered countless educators in the Islamic school space, offering transformative professional development rooted in both best educational practices and authentic Islamic principles. In an industry where change is often difficult due to cultural norms or sentiment, she opens doors with compassion and wisdom. Through firsthand experience and an incredible depth of knowledge, she doesn’t just guide - she shows the way. Any institution or team would be incredibly fortunate to benefit from Asmaa’s insight, experience, and sincerity. I’m deeply grateful to have learned from her and to have witnessed the profound impact she brings to every space she enters."

🗨️ Rose S., Elementary Teacher:

"Asmaa has been an invaluable colleague of mine since I began working at the Islamic School of Greater Kansas City in 2010. We have collaborated on classroom management and curriculum. Asmaa has a clear, fair, and balanced approach to classroom management. She has developed routines and procedures that are appropriate for her grade level, address current issues, and are relationship focused. Her approach to students is as a mentor. She seeks to guide students in Islamic manners and personal accountability. Relationship building is key to her approach to teaching. By building strong relationships, in which the students feel supported and respected, Asmaa creates a classroom environment conducive to learning. Asmaa has provided training for teachers at our school on teaching and classroom management, and my approach to both of things has been greatly influenced by her guidance and example. She is respected by students, parents, and colleagues."

🗨️ Nousaiba D., Elementary/Middle School Teacher:

"Asmaa’s rapport with the students was a model to follow. Through her teaching strategies, classroom management skills, outstanding organizational skills, and genuine care for her students, she provided the ultimate learning environment. Calm and collected, she worked through her day tackling problem behavior with precision, wisdom, and professionalism. She relied on past experience, observation, and outsourcing to implement the most effective lessons and behavioral plans for each class. It wasn’t always one size fits all. Such plasticity, professionalism, and ingenuity is critically needed nowadays to deal with the continually challenging classroom environment."

🗨️ Dr. Sally S., Associate Professor:

"I have had the honor and pleasure to witness first-hand just how innovative and unique Asmaa is in and outside of the classroom. Her overriding goal is to ensure that her students understand the material, whilst enjoying the learning process. Asmaa truly shines in her command of the classroom environment and behavioral management strategies that have allowed both her and the students to spend more time on active learning, without the unnecessary distractions. Immediately upon entering her class, a sense of calm, organization, and respect is realized. It is clear that she has set very specific expectations of her students and that they are more than willing to oblige. Very evident is the sense of trust and strong relationship she has built with her students, whilst maintaining authority and respectful boundaries. Although teaching and classroom management appear to be effortless on her part, it is only so because she has worked hard to research and implement effective strategies and has laid the foundational rules and policies early on in the classroom for a seamless, distraction-free, and positive learning environment. Asmaa has been able to share some of her strategies in organized and well-received presentations to her colleagues in ways that have benefited both the teachers as well as the students. She is able to express and share her tips and ideas in ways that only an effective and organized teacher such as Asmaa is able to."

🗨️ Bryant L., Senior Instructional Designer:

"Asmaa’s contributions as a mentor and presenter for K-12 Islamic school educators underscore her dedication to supporting educators in various contexts. She brings insight and empathy to her one-on-one mentoring and group workshops, equipping teachers with the tools and support they need to grow professionally. Asmaa would be an invaluable asset to any team fortunate to work with her. Her drive, insight, and commitment to educational excellence are evident in every project she undertakes."

🗨️ Diane G., Administrator: 

"Asmaa was an inspiration to our entire faculty...The atmosphere of her classroom behavior was one of control and organization. She rewarded her students for good behavior and counseled her students for improper behavior using Islamic examples. She built positive and strong relationships with her students because of the respect that she gave them in a sincere way. She did not yell at her students, but corrected their behavior in a positive way with her many talents. She was a mentor to other teachers, and she would always try to put things in the best perspective using professionalism. She used that instinct to build relationships more effectively for a positive outcome. During enrollment time, students were anxiously waiting to get into her class knowing that it would be a great year, including my daughter, whom she taught in 5th grade."

🗨️ Sumaiya C., Elementary/Middle School Teacher:

"Working alongside Asmaa during my first few years teaching was a wonderful experience. I was able to learn invaluable techniques by watching her interact with her students, not only in the classroom, but all over campus. It was very obvious that her success with her students was based on the rapport she established as a foundation. When she showed each student that she was present for each and every one, they gladly became engaged in her active, well-planned lessons. Her classroom management techniques minimized disruptions and allowed learning to continue despite any interruption in and outside of the classroom. The simple, yet effective method that Asmaa devised could be adapted to fit any teaching style. Seeing her students responding to her so positively motivated me to focus on the whole person and their school experience rather than just curriculum and content. Asmaa taught me to get to know students individually and listen to their voices."

🗨️ Jaime B., Middle/High School Teacher:

"Asmaa is a prime example of a gifted teacher. Her ability to develop a rapport with her students and develop a community in her classrooms was wonderful to behold. Her consistency and fairness in her classroom was exemplary. As a mentor, she was highly valued here at our school. She utilized many means to build relationships with her students, managing, and building community in her classroom. Even before school started, she would take time to write handwritten postcards to all her future students welcoming them to a new school year. This was beneficial in building rapport and community, defusing concerns of the student in what to expect from their new classroom teacher. She also used multiple procedures in the classroom and spent the first days of school teaching those procedures to her students. Her consistency and fairness in managing her classroom proved to provide a smooth experience for the entire school year. Students left her class at the end of the year, with a solid foundation in all aspects of their learning, both academically and socially."

🗨️ Hadeel A., Elementary School Teacher:

"One of Asmaa’s greatest qualities is being knowledgeable and experienced in the educational field. She is well known for her classroom management skills, as she is capable of delivering extremely engaging instructional lessons while keeping her audience motivated and challenged. Another key feature that Asmaa exhibits is her ability to build excellent rapport within the work environment. When working together, I constantly noticed that students were keen to attend her sessions as she always found ways to promote inquiry-based learning and hands-on activities in the classroom. Her sense of humor is a feature that can’t be missed and one that enhances her relationship with the entire learning community, from students, working staff, administration, and parents. Her bright smile allows her to stand amongst the crowd and invites those around her to feel welcomed and appreciated.

Working with Asmaa has definitely affected me positively both professionally and personally. It is fair to state that Asmaa has been a great mentor and an amazing tutor for me over the years. From working with her on a daily basis and observing her teaching style closely, I learned the importance of building positive relationships with students and the value of using effective teaching and classroom management strategies in creating a healthy and safe learning environment for the learners. I am truly blessed that I have had the chance to work with and learn from Asmaa for a few years and I strongly recommend her as a trainer and workshop leader."

🗨️ Brianna M., Elementary School Teacher:

"When you imagine the ideal educator, several traits are universally thought of: inviting, positive, compassionate, and motivating. Asmaa embodies all of these characteristics. During my time working with her, I was highly impressed by the classroom community and atmosphere that she was able to establish each year. By investing in building relationships, creating a caring atmosphere, and holding students to high standards, Asmaa's students thrived both academically and socially. Her students were intrinsically motivated to do their best and be their best becaue they felt valued and able."

🗨️ Karam S., former 6th grader:

"Throughout all my years of schooling, I had never encountered a teacher as good as Sister Asmaa. Her ability to teach the class in a fun and interesting way was new to me. She had managed to turn one of my least favorite classes into my favorite class. English Language Arts became a class I looked forward to every day due to the interesting activities she always had planned out for us. It was also because of her influence that my love for reading came to be. Her method of creating a game where it was required to read at least four books per quarter helped all of the students in our class become more advanced in their reading ability. She always gave us good book recommendations for our reading level to help us become better readers and better students overall.

Sister Asmaa was also my science teacher for two years. In those two years, there was never a time when I walked out of a lesson and I hadn’t understood the lesson we learned. Her ability to make complex subjects understood by a young student was great. Later in my freshman year in high school, I took Honors Biology. I already knew a good amount of the information because I had taken a Life Science class in sixth grade with Sister Asmaa. That class taught by her was one of the main reasons I did well in my Honors Biology class. Her teaching methods helped me retain information I would never have retained from any other teacher."

🗨️ Jad S., former 10th grader:: 

"I’m writing this to share my appreciation for Sister Asmaa and the effect that she had on me both in and out of her classroom. She was an exceptional teacher who excelled at breaking down difficult psychological concepts and presenting them in an engaging, relatable, and memorable way in Psychology class. So much so that a video she showed us 5 years ago about a specific psychological case study allowed me to grasp the same topic better when I encountered it during my MCAT prep a few months ago.

Before taking Psychology with her, I had the privilege of taking computer classes with her. Due to the way that she conducted class, I learned skills that benefit me to this day. She made it a point to hone in on skills that were practical and life-long, including touch-typing, which I’m using as I write this. She found the perfect balance between being serious and allowing us to recharge by giving us 10 minutes of free time at the end of class, which allowed us to view her class as a fun learning environment, as opposed to a dull lecture. Her teaching style and supportive demeanor truly allowed us to build real student-teacher relationships that last to this day and made her classes some of the most impactful I’ve ever taken."

🗨️ Houda D., former 4th grader: 

"Sister Asmaa always found creative ways to keep us motivated to behave and make responsible decisions. She never raised her voice, but when it was needed, her words were firm and impactful. This created an environment that made me want to learn, to behave, and essentially grow to be a student that took charge of her education. It was a balance between guidance and enough freedom to know what it meant to make our own choices, not only individually but also with our other classmates in mind. There are teachers who leave you with knowledge on a certain subject, and then there are teachers who leave you with a lot more than what is to be learned from a textbook. I knew from very early on as a 4th grader, that Sister Asmaa was part of the latter category."

🗨️ Amera H., former 6th grader:

"I was a student in Sister Asmaa's class for two years back to back, and she was easily one of the best teachers I’ve ever had. Not only was she very sweet but also determined and ready to teach her students. She cared deeply about her pupils and was willing to listen to their concerns. She strived to keep a positive environment as well as a healthy one. I personally wasn't the strongest when it came to writing, but instead of shrugging it off to the next essay, she sat down with me and critiqued it on how it could be worded better. She constantly took that time for all her students. I felt comfortable with her, her door was always open as a welcoming environment. Sister Asmaa knows how to assess situations accordingly and is very responsible. She always looked at both sides of the story and has a very good sense of judgement. She is fair and honorable and always did an amazing job of mixing learning with fun. If I could have her as my English/reading teacher again, hands down I would."

🗨️ Maya Q., former 5th grader: 

"Sister Asmaa is one of the most kind and caring teachers I ever had. She not only taught subjects such as literature very clearly and well, she also incorporated fun activities weekly to give her students that motivation to learn. She clearly put much effort into her job and making class exciting for her students. I never struggled much in her class. It was a healthy challenge. She went out of her way to talk to students one on one and made sure everything was alright, personally as well as academically. Her classes were definitely the highlight of my long school days. I did appreciate the way she managed the classroom behavior through a system of positive reinforcement. She personally helped me through many tough times as I was growing through middle school. She was my mentor and I will always appreciate her."

🗨️ Nour A., former 6th grader:

"I was a student in Sister Asmaa's class. Our relationship with her was spectacular. She believed that we should be treated with kindness. She would always ask or check up on us if we acted a different way from how we normally are. She would also encourage us to do the same with others. She would manage the classroom so well. She would always have reminders and things to cheer us up. If we accomplished our goals and rules she would give us points and rewards."

🗨️ Jude H., former 9th grader:

"I have personally known Sister for more than ten years. She taught my siblings and me at the Islamic School of Greater Kansas City. As a teacher, she went above and beyond to offer me help in any way possible. She was very organized with class and with time. She worked very hard and was very respectful when working with students. She made everyone feel comfortable and always had a positive attitude. I, without a doubt, recommend Sister Asmaa for any teaching-related position she pursues."

🗨️ Leen A., former 4th grader:

"Sister Asmaa was a strong influence on my education and personal growth during my time with her as my teacher at the Islamic School of Greater Kansas City. Her knowledge, sincerity, honesty, patience, and dedication to teaching make her perfect for the role of a teacher trainer for Islamic schools. Not to mention the qualities I have mentioned are similar to the qualities the Prophet Muhammed (SAW) taught.

As a former student, I had the advantage to experience Sister Asmaa's teaching. She was definitely a natural! She always explained and demonstrated in detail and always included Islamic values in her teaching. She showed strong commitment to helping her students succeed. Her ability to quickly establish a connection with students and encourage their academic and personal development is very clear. These characteristics, along with her flexibility and creativity, will enable her to succeed as a teacher trainer and motivate Islamic School teachers in doing their best. "

🗨️ Ali B., former 5th grader:

"Sister Asmaa taught me in 5th and 6th grade. Going into these grades, I hated doing homework and would always forget to do and turn in my homework. Sister Asmaa had a system called pink slips where we had to fill one out any time we forgot to do our homework. I realized that doing these pinks slips were just as time consuming, if not more time consuming, then most assignments. She helped me realize the importance of doing my work on time. I still carry this lesson with me till this day and I manage to turn in all my assignments on time. This is one of the many things Sister Asmaa instilled in us. 

The connection we had outside the classroom setting was even greater. I remember us bonding over our love for Taco Bell. Later on in that year, I broke my wrist and I remember her giving me a get well soon card and a gift card for Taco Bell. She also would let us make fun videos like a parody news report video. We also had done the mannequin challenge as a class. These small little things she did make me and others remember her forever."

🗨️ Sirona R., former 9th grader:

"I have sincere appreciation for Sister Asmaa's dedication, passion, and hard work in fulfilling the role of an educator. Her commitment to fostering a positive, engaging, and educational learning environment made class a truly memorable experience. Her teaching style is both engaging and effective, combining clear instruction with creative approaches that make learning both enjoyable and meaningful. I learned so much from Sister Asmaa’s lessons and her ability to present complex material in a way that was easy to understand. I greatly admired how she recognized each student's unique strengths and challenges, adapting her approach to support our individual success. At the same time, she encouraged us to express ourselves creatively. I really appreciate Sister Asmaa for her exceptional dedication and patience in working with all of her students."

🗨️ Dawud R., former 7th grader:

"As a former student of Sister Asmaa, I truly am very grateful of everything she has done for me, all the fun activities and memorable moments. She truly went above and beyond and definitely has been a key factor in my success. I admire Sister Asmaa’s work ethic and strive to be someone like her.

🗨️ Erum S., former 5th grader:

"As a former student of Sister Asmaa I can tell you this: our good behavior in the classroom managed off fear - not fear that we would get in trouble, but fear that we would lose the bond and funny memories we shared with our amazing teacher. In the beginning of the year Sister Asmaa bonded with me through stories. Me, being the bookworm I am, was amazed that she was as much of a book-lover as me! 

Dealing with students, she would be funny but firm. If a student showed disruptive behavior, she would not call on them loudly, but instead go to them quietly and inform them. If it was a very big problem, she would bring the students out of the classroom to talk. She had a reward system that worked with us. She shared a strong bond with our class. I know that because there were barely any issues that our class had with Sister Asmaa, meaning the students wanted to keep their fun relationship with our awesome teacher."

🗨️ Sara B., former 9th grader:

"Sister Asmaa’s class was one I always looked forward to. She had a very friendly style of teaching that gave us as students comfort, yet also maintained the same sense of authority that a teacher should have. Throughout my personal experience as a student, this was something I found not all teachers could achieve. Her passion for teaching and learning was evident through every lesson she gave. If there were ever any difficulties with understanding a certain topic she had an incredible ability to break topics down using analogies or other methods to relate the subject matter to something we are more likely to comprehend. 

In addition to Sister Asmaa being my Islamic school teacher, I also attended halaqa with her for many years. As our halaqa leader, she had an incredible amount of knowledge on our religion of Islam that I have always admired and appreciated. I’ve learned many duaa’s, islamic rulings, and life lessons that I still use and apply to this day, Alhamdullah. I will forever be grateful for having Sister Asmaa as my teacher and mentor."

🗨️ Safaa & Jehad A.:

"We were very fortunate to have Asmaa as the 4th grade teacher for two of my daughters. She demonstrated strong classroom management throughout and created a disciplined and calm learning environment for the kids. She showed compassion and respect to every student in her class and gave them ample opportunity to practice and master key concepts. This was very evident during the pandemic year when we had to switch to online learning for my 4th grader. Asmaa went above and beyond to search and utilize new and fun online learning tools. This went a long way to keep our daughter’s attention and focus on learning. Our daughter was so engaged, we kept reminding her to lower her voice! Thank you for the tremendous commitment and dedication to teaching our kids."

🗨️ Kateri A.:

"I am seriously blessed to be able to say that Asmaa Albadawi taught 3 out of 4 of my children. As an active mother in the school, I often witnessed Asmaa as a teacher. She is amazing at finding her student's strengths and encourages them to use them. She has an ability to pinpoint the areas that they struggle in and is able to guide her students to manage, work with, and work around them. As a person, Asmaa exemplifies good Islamic behavior. Her natural poise and behavior demonstrate, to all around her, proper Islamic behavior and mannerisms. This adds to her ability to encourage her students to learn and practice their deen. She has a wonderful talent of story-telling, and she uses it wisely to teach and guide her students to live their faith in this dunya. Asmaa Albadawi is a strong, talented and insightful teacher, who is continually striving to learn more and find techniques to help teachers and students. I am grateful every day that she was in my children's lives."

🗨️ Nik N.: 

"My daughter was part of Asmaa’s first batch of students in 4th grade in the 2008/2009 school year. As a parent, I found Asmaa has a natural talent when she’s around students and as a teacher. Whenever I communicated with her expressing my concerns about my daughter or any questions I had, Asmaa listened well and gave me assurance and explained how she would tackle and manage a situation. If even we as parents felt connected with Asmaa, therefore, her classroom management with her students was even more excellent. Asmaa was deeply engaged with her students and would not let any of her students fall behind. Her innate abilities brought attentiveness among her students and a positive class vibe, which is important for any classroom order and effective teaching. My daughter and I, as well as all of the parents of Asmaa’s students, were fortunate to have her as a teacher. As a parent, I felt the support I needed from her, especially when she cared to give feedback and constructive response when I expressed concerns for my daughter. As a parent-teacher relationship, I truly felt that the high morale, openness, and approachability Asmaa carried within herself reflected on the successes and effectiveness as a teacher, and, more importantly, the successes of her students!"

🗨️ Dr. Huda Z.:

"Asmaa taught two of my kids different subjects, and their experience with her was a remarkable one! In addition to comprehending the subject matter really well, they enjoyed her classes and looked forward to them. She did a great job in engaging my kids in her classroom, motivating them to learn, and helping them become critical thinkers. In her classroom, Asmaa utilized collaborative learning approaches in which my kids had the chance to learn from their classmates and get introduced to different perspectives. In addition, she was successful in managing the classroom and creating an environment that helped my kids focus on their learning. Asmaa made sure to communicate her classroom expectations, to model respectful productive behavior, to look for warning signs causing students misbehavior and address it, to engage inattentive or challenging students by asking them questions and engaging them in discussions, to hold parties in recognition of students’ hard work, to allow peer teaching in her classroom, and to send positive letters home. Furthermore, Asmaa was successful in building good relationships with my kids that reflected her care and respect for them. She proved to be a trustworthy and helpful person that they would turn to whenever they faced a challenge or encountered a problem. She understood their needs, and provided them with advice and guidance."

🗨️ Najia T.:

"My son does not stop mentioning how great his teacher, Asmaa, was every chance he gets, and I totally agree with him for all the right reasons. She is a firm but friendly teacher with very clear rules and expectations. Kids love her for her fairness. She treats her students with respect and lets them say their opinion. Her classroom management strategies and tools are excellent and kid-friendly. She is very well-organized and has a behavior points system in her class which motivates students to continue to behave positively. All my kids (2 girls, 1 boy) still remember everything they used to do in Asmaa’s class and how much fun of a learning experience it was. Thank you, Asmaa, for everything and for being a wonderful teacher."

🗨️ Fazeela S.:

“'I’m not the only one who gets lost reading books,” my daughter exclaimed after her first day of 5th grade. I immediately realized this was going to be an amazing journey and an inseparable bond with her teacher. This bond became stronger and stronger each day listening to Asmaa’s real-life little stories (it’s what we call them). These stories were not only fun and entertaining, but they always had something to learn from. They were full of lessons/knowledge and helped my daughter become more responsible.

With the outbreak of COVID, online schooling took a toll on our kids. Getting kids to concentrate in front of the screen was a major task. My daughter was struggling with that. Asmaa very subtly started to point that out and also kept me in the loop. Being a good listener and patient with the kids, she was able to resolve it. My daughter showed gradual improvement, and by the end of the year enjoyed every bit she was doing in class."