The BEST parts of each day was visiting the variety of schools and seeing/talking with students. We had the privilege of meeting so many interesting educators, administrators and - of course - the children! From the Moulay Youssef High School, a public high school in the center of Rabat. Built in 1916, it offers college preparatory classes and students come from all around the city to attend which is currently being renovated - some classes were happening on this site while that was happening and at the other site as well. There was an increase in the budget due to the Education Initiative at the government level that Meriem had discussed. We also were able to see private schools as well. One, Complex School Khalil Abdelhafid (CSKA) serves all grade levels reminding a bit of my own school serving grades six - twelve.
At each of the schools, students were exactly the same as ours at home and it was so good to be able to talk with them. At Moulay Youssef, I remember Barbara, the music teacher, asked about the music they were interested in - as she is creating a play lit. It was funny because the students were worried about about their answers...you knew that to be true because they looked at the Director as they answered! The Director wanted to see what songs they were sharing.
At the Al Moutanabi High School, I loved how in between each student presentation, they all clapped for each other. I mean enthusiastically clapped for one another! It so reminded me of one of our first years of school - starting our school when we had a talent show. Let's just say that talent was limited! However, I did not know this at first. A student got on stage and sang his heart out - badly. It sounded awful...and I sat there cringing in the auditorium seat waiting for the reaction. To my surprise and delight, the entire student body began cheering and clapping and yelling FOR him! It was one of my all-time favorite moments of my teaching career. That kid walked off the stage feeling like Harry Styles. It was the best! Students were interested in learning about our students and seeing photos of them, of our lives in the USA. They wanted to know about the television programs about high school and was that what it was really like. Students did not study about Psychology and when I told them that I taught it, they were interested in resources especially after Covid. They also had questions about what did we know about Islam and what advice about life would we give?While at one school, a student asked me, "What did you expect of us?" I answered, exactly the same - young people are young people. The same things are important to them - friends, significant others, family, education, clothes, music, future, etc. no matter where they are from or who they are. Playing ball or stretching to the sky with them, teaching mini-lessons, and hearing a young woman passionately explain that she wanted others to better understand her religion as it would help to better understand her/who she is as a person. SUCH JOY to be around the energy of these kids!
“Students are the same no matter where they are from.”
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