We're going with Sara Evans for this week's post title. I'm listening to my country playlist, it's couscous Friday and the weekend is here. Laissez les bon temps rouler! Well, maybe not for the students who got poor midterm reports the other day. Thought I'd talk a bit more about George Washington Academy at the half-pole of this marking period - my kids, my colleagues and the nature of my job.
As you know, GWA is not your usual school, a K2-12 private not-for-profit entity recognized by both the USA and Morocco as an American school, with graduates receiving an American diploma. The student body is a fascinating mix. Close to 2/3 are Moroccan, and thus speak French and Arabic. Most of the faculty is North American, and don't speak French or Arabic as a first language, yours truly included, though I am working on it. The rule in school is: Speak English. The reasons should be fairly obvious, except for maybe one - when the little lovelies are speaking Arabic, most teachers don't know what they are saying. Curses, threats, telling their friend an answer on a test - who knows? Thus, English only, thank you.
The students wear uniforms; the only thing really at all interesting in their appearance is that a few girls wear a hijab (he-jab). It is a veil worn to cover the head and neck, in the interest of modesty. My understanding is that there is no consensus among Muslims as to whether or not the Qur'an explicitly mandates that females must wear this particular garment. The countries that comprise the Maghreb in NW Africa are considered to generally be a little more liberal than, say, Saudi Arabia or Egypt, and within Morocco, Casablanca is regarded even more as a cosmopolitan place. You see older women dressed much more traditionally/conservatively, but not often are you looking at someone and seeing just a pair of eyes peering back at you. And younger women dress just as, um, uh, casually as in any American big city.
My colleagues, with whom I not only work, but live, are a nice group of people. I can tell you a little more about them by now. Most are fairly young, a good number of them married. No small number have taught in other countries in Africa, Asia and elsewhere. There is a very large percentage of people who are active in their faith. There are a couple of churches in Casa for Protestants to attend. Jewish people are not given a hard time here. There is one Catholic church (and so far as I know, only one other Catholic here besides myself). Whatever the denomination, you better not proselytize - this is an Islamic state - that will get you promptly thrown out of the country.
I'm still growing into my job. It's interesting. It's an American high school, but special education law does not apply here. I am a special education teacher, doing exactly the same kind of job I did at a NJ public high school, but here I am a learning specialist, I offer learning support. I greatly enjoy the job, but it is a little bit surreal. You see, I am not just a special education teacher; I am the special education teacher. In the Upper School we have a counselor, a guidance counselor, a Student Services Support person and an English Language Learner teacher who's been here a couple years(don't know what I'd do without her!) My principal and vice-principal are great to work for, but all of these people have one thing in common: special education is not their stock in trade. People actually have looked to me for advice. I have, like, real responsibility. (gulp) I'm confident in my abilities and in what my experience has done for me, but I have not yet gotten used to being the one-stop shopping center for your (real but not officially) special ed needs...
We will end this evening with a first photo from my new Nikon camera purchased last night at the Marjane at the mall. I have to apologize that the photo simply cannot do justice to what the sunset looks like in person every night. Baraka allahu feek. May God bless you.
As you know, GWA is not your usual school, a K2-12 private not-for-profit entity recognized by both the USA and Morocco as an American school, with graduates receiving an American diploma. The student body is a fascinating mix. Close to 2/3 are Moroccan, and thus speak French and Arabic. Most of the faculty is North American, and don't speak French or Arabic as a first language, yours truly included, though I am working on it. The rule in school is: Speak English. The reasons should be fairly obvious, except for maybe one - when the little lovelies are speaking Arabic, most teachers don't know what they are saying. Curses, threats, telling their friend an answer on a test - who knows? Thus, English only, thank you.
The students wear uniforms; the only thing really at all interesting in their appearance is that a few girls wear a hijab (he-jab). It is a veil worn to cover the head and neck, in the interest of modesty. My understanding is that there is no consensus among Muslims as to whether or not the Qur'an explicitly mandates that females must wear this particular garment. The countries that comprise the Maghreb in NW Africa are considered to generally be a little more liberal than, say, Saudi Arabia or Egypt, and within Morocco, Casablanca is regarded even more as a cosmopolitan place. You see older women dressed much more traditionally/conservatively, but not often are you looking at someone and seeing just a pair of eyes peering back at you. And younger women dress just as, um, uh, casually as in any American big city.
My colleagues, with whom I not only work, but live, are a nice group of people. I can tell you a little more about them by now. Most are fairly young, a good number of them married. No small number have taught in other countries in Africa, Asia and elsewhere. There is a very large percentage of people who are active in their faith. There are a couple of churches in Casa for Protestants to attend. Jewish people are not given a hard time here. There is one Catholic church (and so far as I know, only one other Catholic here besides myself). Whatever the denomination, you better not proselytize - this is an Islamic state - that will get you promptly thrown out of the country.
I'm still growing into my job. It's interesting. It's an American high school, but special education law does not apply here. I am a special education teacher, doing exactly the same kind of job I did at a NJ public high school, but here I am a learning specialist, I offer learning support. I greatly enjoy the job, but it is a little bit surreal. You see, I am not just a special education teacher; I am the special education teacher. In the Upper School we have a counselor, a guidance counselor, a Student Services Support person and an English Language Learner teacher who's been here a couple years(don't know what I'd do without her!) My principal and vice-principal are great to work for, but all of these people have one thing in common: special education is not their stock in trade. People actually have looked to me for advice. I have, like, real responsibility. (gulp) I'm confident in my abilities and in what my experience has done for me, but I have not yet gotten used to being the one-stop shopping center for your (real but not officially) special ed needs...
We will end this evening with a first photo from my new Nikon camera purchased last night at the Marjane at the mall. I have to apologize that the photo simply cannot do justice to what the sunset looks like in person every night. Baraka allahu feek. May God bless you.
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