Updates on my numerous lives as a teacher, a teacher, a teacher, and…. a student. Gotta love academia.
School #1, Mafraq, gets better with each day. Yes, I still dread my alarm going off at 5:45 on Monday and Wednesday mornings, but that is more and more because of the time and less and less because I have to go to the middle of the desert and teach students who come to class with no book, no paper, no pen, and no will to listen to any of my directions or try to open their mouths so English words can come out. Not all the students are like this, but it really does get to you the few that are. One student kept asking me when the test was in Arabic, and I told him nicely to ask me in English (he’s one of the duds that never participates) I told him the question words, translated them for him, told him in Arabic to repeat after me, and he simply looked at me and said, “don’t speak English” so I got pissed and yelled, “Well the test is on Wednesday but you’re not going to do very well if you don’t speak English!” There are gem students as well, but of course, the bad ones stick out and often make for better stories. It made me feel better talking to Jomanna, who said she has the same problem. So at least I know it’s not just an English thing, and it’s not just a me thing. al-Al Bayt is just a… developing institution so to speak.
School #2, Iraqi Refugee school, is so fun! I love the students there. They are the most generous and wonderful people. They help me with my Arabic homework and are so willing to learn and happy to be around each other and me, and English. We’ve been doing fun things in class, like poems and today, limericks! It makes me happy to be there, and I look forward to getting to know them even better as people, not just as students. I love walking out of the building and seeing my adult students with their kids. Most of these people are really intelligent, I’m sure wonderful parents, and I’m just happy to be around them.
School #3, Sudanese Refugee in-home team teaching. Also wonderful, but night classes are tiring. These are the most apt and attentive students though by far. If we had chairs they would certainly be on the edge of them. This is the class I am most excited to see progress. Starting from ground zero, I am very interested to see after ten months, assuming they want us to teach for that long, just how much English learning can be accomplished. They are certainly faster than me, after two nights I can still only count to ten in Fur, the language of Darfur. They do get most of the lesson time though, to be fair. They, too, are very generous hosts and always offer us juice, soda, and water. I am co-teaching with my friend Sam, which makes things easier, and we have fun playing games, and of course, singing the ABC’s.
Studenthood. Shewya shewya (little by little). I am frustrated that the only people who want to talk to me are men. Jomanna is great too but she mostly likes to speak English and everyone who seems so willing to let me practice my Arabic with them is always in the culturally awkward, semi-taboo, what do I do with people of the opposite gender category. I love my tutor, though, and my formal classes at the language center are pretty good. I am still really looking for a niche for my Arabic though, being an English teacher is rough for the foreign language skills. I know grammar rules, but am used to them being broken. And my own words and explanations usually come out in a weird Arabglish mix that only another confused bi-linguist would have a prayer to understand.
ok that's my life. Time for bed.. that 5:45 alarm will come way to quickly in the morning. Hem duhl Allah.
School #1, Mafraq, gets better with each day. Yes, I still dread my alarm going off at 5:45 on Monday and Wednesday mornings, but that is more and more because of the time and less and less because I have to go to the middle of the desert and teach students who come to class with no book, no paper, no pen, and no will to listen to any of my directions or try to open their mouths so English words can come out. Not all the students are like this, but it really does get to you the few that are. One student kept asking me when the test was in Arabic, and I told him nicely to ask me in English (he’s one of the duds that never participates) I told him the question words, translated them for him, told him in Arabic to repeat after me, and he simply looked at me and said, “don’t speak English” so I got pissed and yelled, “Well the test is on Wednesday but you’re not going to do very well if you don’t speak English!” There are gem students as well, but of course, the bad ones stick out and often make for better stories. It made me feel better talking to Jomanna, who said she has the same problem. So at least I know it’s not just an English thing, and it’s not just a me thing. al-Al Bayt is just a… developing institution so to speak.
School #2, Iraqi Refugee school, is so fun! I love the students there. They are the most generous and wonderful people. They help me with my Arabic homework and are so willing to learn and happy to be around each other and me, and English. We’ve been doing fun things in class, like poems and today, limericks! It makes me happy to be there, and I look forward to getting to know them even better as people, not just as students. I love walking out of the building and seeing my adult students with their kids. Most of these people are really intelligent, I’m sure wonderful parents, and I’m just happy to be around them.
School #3, Sudanese Refugee in-home team teaching. Also wonderful, but night classes are tiring. These are the most apt and attentive students though by far. If we had chairs they would certainly be on the edge of them. This is the class I am most excited to see progress. Starting from ground zero, I am very interested to see after ten months, assuming they want us to teach for that long, just how much English learning can be accomplished. They are certainly faster than me, after two nights I can still only count to ten in Fur, the language of Darfur. They do get most of the lesson time though, to be fair. They, too, are very generous hosts and always offer us juice, soda, and water. I am co-teaching with my friend Sam, which makes things easier, and we have fun playing games, and of course, singing the ABC’s.
Studenthood. Shewya shewya (little by little). I am frustrated that the only people who want to talk to me are men. Jomanna is great too but she mostly likes to speak English and everyone who seems so willing to let me practice my Arabic with them is always in the culturally awkward, semi-taboo, what do I do with people of the opposite gender category. I love my tutor, though, and my formal classes at the language center are pretty good. I am still really looking for a niche for my Arabic though, being an English teacher is rough for the foreign language skills. I know grammar rules, but am used to them being broken. And my own words and explanations usually come out in a weird Arabglish mix that only another confused bi-linguist would have a prayer to understand.
ok that's my life. Time for bed.. that 5:45 alarm will come way to quickly in the morning. Hem duhl Allah.
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