TEACHING EXPERIENCES-LIFE EXPERIENCES

OPENNESS OR PREJUDICE?

2008-06-03T21:03:00Z

It is just amazing how some people no matter how old they are wisdom never knocks at their doors. The prejudices stay with them even if they go to so many countries. And when you are prejudiced, it is very hard to respect and value a culture that is different from yours. So, it would just be easy for you to criticize the educational system, criticize people’s behavior and say the countries you visited are dirty and the food is not clean. However, when you receive people in your house or your country, you would expect them to worship everything and anything in your culture. You would expect them to eat your food and say that is the most delicious food in the world. You would expect them to say that your educational system is the most efficient one, and most of all, you would expect them just to shut up and say yes to everything. You know why this is so? Because you are prejudiced, because you would keep on saying to everybody that you are an open person, that you are a citizen of the world, that you value differences; but deep inside, you are nothing but a racist. How can’t you be so when you say that all the social problems that a given country suffers from come essentially from minority groups, or again when you give faulty historical input to students just because the real facts don’t suit your line of attitude at a specific moment. I would not tell you to reconsider your attitudes because I know you would not, but I just wish that you would be kept out of causing more nuisances.

TEACHING FOREIGN LANGUAGES IN AMERICA

2008-03-28T18:37:00Z

Learning languages is not a very difficult endeavor. Children and even adults can learn as many languages as they like provided the appropriate process is adopted.

It is a pity that languages such as French are taught in a way that would discourage even the most ambitious learners to carry out their plan successfully. A lot of the native language is used both in the textbooks and by teachers.

How would you expect students to learn a language when they don’t use much of it?

Can a person learn swimming by being given lessons on how to swim without ever being able to go in the water?

How come that vocabulary is still taught in isolation?

How can students be able to speak French if the grammar is still taught in the traditional grammar translation method?

How can students learn the language communicatively when they are not given the communicative tools to be able to get along in the foreign language?

How would it be possible to speak a foreign language if students are not challenged enough and are exposed on a daily basis to only very plain grammar and vocabulary lessons?

I think that any students would be able to speak any language; they need only the appropriate environment to do so. I don’t think that Americans don’t speak languages; I think that the approach to foreign language teaching in America should undergo a real change.

MY VISIT TO WASHINGTON 2O-03-208

2008-03-28T18:34:00Z

MY VISIT TO WASHINGTON 2O-03-208

After a five week stay in Arizona, I headed towards Washington. The plane was two hours late at the airport in Arizona. I was worried because I had to change the plane in Cincinnati and feared missing the other plane. Besides I had a lot of luggage with me. I did not have to pay anything. Even if I had some overweight, the people in charge were so nice and did not ask me to pay anything. “I am a lucky girl” this is what some people would tell me; well, I am so happy I am “aini l7assoud fiha 3oud”.

As soon as I got to Cincinnati, I ran as fast as I could; I had to change the terminal. But I was again lucky, the plane was waiting for some late comers.

At the Reagan airport in Washington, I got my luggage and asked a porter to help me with it. He did not take any money from me, he was from Somalia and said he was glad to help me. He called a taxi for me and the taxi driver was also Somalian. When I arrived to Holiday Inn, he carried all the luggage inside the hotel. I tried to tip him but he said no. so I had a lot of money still with me.

Once in the hotel, one of the Fulbright staff was there waiting for me as I was the latest to arrive. I was told to ask for room service to have dinner.

I met my other colleagues and everybody was so glad. However, I had to have dinner by myself as everybody had already had their dinner. I asked for a salad, a piece of pizza and a cheese cake. I was so surprised when they brought me a very big plate of a rich salad, a whole big size pizza and a piece of cheese cake. I invited my friends to eat with me, but we left most of the pizza in the room’s fridge.

21-03-2008

The day started with a delicious breakfast among the other Moroccan grantees. It is amazing how before this program the Moroccan teachers did not use to know each other and how we became friends thank to the Fulbright teacher exchange program.

Later we met with the American Fulbright staff to talk about our experiences. We shared a lot about our cultural, professional and personal exchanges.

We, then went to a very nice restaurant for lunch. The food was excellent. I had a calamari salad and fish again for the main course.

Just near the restaurant, there was the newseum ; it is a museum of news and press. It is not completely open, but we were ones of the first to visit it. That is a privilege I guess. It is a very interesting place. However, what I really liked there was the place where a visitor would go and play the role of a reporter. I did it, and I was given the link to see myself in front of the capitol giving some news from Washington. Well, teachers can be anything as all of us played the role very well.

The Fulbright staff in Washington were very nice to take me to the White House since I missed that at the beginning of the exchange. We walked a little there and took some pictures and went back to the hotel.

We had dinner in a Moroccan restaurant. The food was good but a belly dancer was kind of out of place there. First because belly dancing is not at all Moroccan dancing, and second because the staff did not expect to see such things. Anyway, we laughed a lot and enjoyed ourselves greatly. The restaurant was surely trying to attract more costumers. We had, Moroccan soup, couscous, salads, chicken with lemon, pastilla, mint tea with Moroccan cookies and other things. The Fulbright staff told us they wanted to reintroduce us to Moroccan dishes just before going back to our country Morocco.

22-03-2008

Our last day in Washington was a free one. We had all the morning to go sightseeing. We were four to go to the Pentagon mall. We took the metro and went there to do some final shopping. We did not find what we were looking for, so we walked and bought only some lotions and got back to the hotel just on time to check out.

We had lunch together for the last time and bid farewell to our hosts. The Dulles Airport was very busy as it was spring break. And again, I did not have to pay even if I had more bags than I should. One of my friends took one bag for me, which was very kind of her. And in Paris, my carryon was too big to go in the plane, so they just took it and put it with my other bags. Yes, lucky again.

In Casablanca, my family was waiting for me and I went directly to Tangier; I was so happy to meet my family after a month and a half.

GULLIVER’S TRAVELS

2008-03-27T15:29:00Z

If you have been reading my blog, you are most probably familiar with
this title. Well, my travels continue with no struldbrugs, Lilliput
or Blefuscu, but with some adventures that might equal these as far as
a teacher is concerned.
Today, I visited some places that maybe no one in my position would
really be interested in. I went to a Presbyterian church, a Catholic
church, a police station, a court, a fire station, the Indian
reservation, a culinary school and to Spring Training baseball game.
I wanted to see what a police station looked like; I am a TV watcher,
and I see a lot of Law and Order, without a trace, CSI and I could say
all series including investigations. So, my concern was to see if a
police station was the same as the idea I made out of watching these
series. Well, not really. The station was very small, the reception at
least was. Around were locked doors, so I assumed that behind the
doors the real work was taking place. The police officer was very
nice and let me tour the place and take some brochures.
I went later to a court not far from the same police station. Could
you believe that I went into a court room and attended a trial with a
real judge? I did that, I liked it. The court rooms look much like
what I see in "Boston Legal" with the area for the jury, the judge's
area and so on. I might seem crazy, but I have always had this love
for court rooms and judges, this is mainly one of the reasons behind
my taking law studies three years ago. I might change my career and
become a lawyer one day.
The Indian reservation was something that I particularly wanted to see
because I did not at all understand what it was like and why those
reservations were there. Anyway, I went there, the fields are huge and
are owned by Native Americans. I don't know how I should look at these
things but I just felt that those reservations might be something
good. The Native Americans are now leasing and building and making a
lot of money out of this. So, after all, this might be not really to
their detriment. There is a huge casino owned by Indians, and they are
making millions of dollars out of it; with the money, they started
building nice houses, upscale schools and fancy hotels. I liked the
open spaces, the rural areas and the stretches of the either deserted
or ploughed fields.
After that, I went to the fire station in the Indian Reservation. I
talked to a man working there and he explained to me how they operate.
All the Indian houses were one or two floors, but with this new
development of the whole place and the building of 9 floor
Condominiums, the firemen are going on a lot of training. Jason, that
was the name of the fireman I talked to, was so nice and accepted to
take a picture with me after calling his Native American Indian
colleague to be in the picture too.
Later I went to the culinary school. A very big place with a lot of
French written here and there. I peeped into some classes and saw
students studying or preparing something. I could eat anything at that
time, had they only offered me something. However, I saw some of the
students in the hall eating sandwiches and crackers. They might be
very tired of eating French dishes! I wanted to eat there as there was
a restaurant but I discarded the idea after having a look at the menu
and saw that the prices were a bit expensive.
My trip went on with a long visit to a Presbyterian church and a
Catholic church. The first one was rather simple with no statues or
paintings and there was no one in the church. The second one was
rather colorful, and it looked exactly as in films. A lot of people
were there as this is Easter and a lot of praying was going on. I
toured the church and had a look at all the statues and left. I
believe more and more that we should stop pinpointing each other's
differences and focus on similarities. Religion is a matter of free
choice and if we dig a little deeper, we will discover that human
beings all worship an omnipotent omnipresent God who is there for us
when no one else is. So,it shouldn't matter if you are Muslims,
Christians, Jewish, Buddhists or if you choose to adopt any other
religious belief, what we really need is just mutual respect and
esteem of differences.
My trip ended by one of the most beautiful experiences. I went to
Spring training baseball game. The place was just gorgeous. It was
like a festival: people eating, drinking and chatting. No one was
really concerned about the game as this was only training. I guess I
can confess to you that I have no idea what the rules of baseball are.
This is an exclusively American game and so Americans like it. I am
not very much interested in any sport except aerobics because I play
it and I enjoy myself performing the steps and the dancing. However,
I was very much interested in this game because I like to discover
things I don't know. So I stayed there for sometime and tried to
figure out how the game was played in vain. I bought something to eat
and went back home.
It was a very interesting day for me as my adventures are still going
on and my understanding of things and people is perpetually on the move.

A VERY SPECIAL WEEKEND IN ARIZONA 03-13-2008

2008-03-27T15:23:00Z

My weekend started on Friday when the school arranged a farewell party
for me. It was very nice and the headmaster gave me a present: a piece
of Native American jewelry. Someone must have told them about my love
for Native American handicraft.
Saturday was really a great and unusual day for a Moroccan lady. The
morning was quite usual though, because I just went to the botanical
garden of Phoenix. I liked it in the sense that it was wild and had a
lot of Native Indian examples of houses and food all made from cacti.
The unusual part started at 9:00 pm when the vice principal and his
wife invited me to a festival of "Salsa Dance". I needn't tell you
that I was the only woman with a headscarf in the club. The magic of
the thing is that people did not really look twice at me. I was
expecting them to frown or to be taken aback, no, nothing. Good for
me. We went upstairs and watched the groups and couples parading in
the most magnificent salsa dancing. There was also a band from San
Francisco who sang the whole evening in the most hilarious and
mirthful way. The singer of the band was wearing a suit, a tie and
glasses. The vice principal's wife made a joke about him and told me
that he looked rather like an accountant; he was so into the singing
that his appearance and his trance were incongruous. However he had
such a beautiful voice and I enjoyed his singing and even his speaking
in Spanish.
The vice principal's wife? Mistalene, was a good salsa dancer, her husband was
not. So he was reluctant to dance with her when the dancing floor was
swarming with people from different walks of life. In fact, he
performed some steps to please his wife. I did not dance of course,
"allahomma jaal khayra aamalina khawatimaha" .
I spent the night at the vice principal's house as I was invited for
the whole weekend. They are a very sweet young couple; I got a lot
along with them because they are approximately my age so we had a lot
in common.
Sunday morning was another unusual day for a Moroccan Muslim. I
attended the church with my hosts. The church is Christian
non-denominational. People of different colors and races were there.
They sang, they prayed and they even danced. The church had no
paintings, no sculptures and no colored glass windows. And again, with
my headscarf, nobody was surprised at my presence in that specific
place of worship. I just listened and stood up when people did so.
Most of the words the Pastor said are really not at all far from our
religion. The fact that we should praise God every day for what he
endows us with, that if we give something we will be given more and
more, that God would expect people to take their destiny in their
hands all seemed customary to me. Undoubtedly, we believe in the same
God. Nobody was trying to convert me however; and people just asked
me, at the end of the service, where I came from. it is amazing how I
stayed in France for five years and never went to a church. I tried
once, but the priest was annoyed with my presence, so I left.now, for
just six weeks I could say I saw a lot.
Just when I was getting ready to depart, I start getting interested in
experiencing more in this country. But, hadn't it been for James White
and his wife, I don't think I would have experienced these things.
As my hosts had been paying for me a lot, I invited them to a Moroccan
restaurant. So, we went to a place called Fez. James's wife's sister
joined us and we drove downtown Phoenix. The restaurant was not really
Moroccan, but the names of foods were: the Tangier burger, the Fez
sandwich and the Casablanca something. However, the food was good and
everybody liked it. I can say that this is the best weekend I spent
since I have been here because I saw some of the things that I needed
to see and again was able to join "the useful to the agreeable"

THANK YOU JAMES WHITE AND MESTALENE 03-13-2008

2008-03-27T15:19:00Z

THANK YOU JAMES WHITE 03-13-2008

Yesterday I was invited to visit a museum and go to dinner with the vice principal of the school and his wife. First we went to the science museum which I enjoyed very much, and later the vice principal’s wife joined us and we went to dinner.

I had one of the most delicious Mexican dishes. My host’s wife is half Mexican half Irish, and besides being very beautiful as she has that wonderful mix in her complexion, she knows a lot about Mexican food. So she helped me choose one of the ‘enchaladas’ that Mexican restaurants offer. The dish had vegetables, cheese, shrimps and some other things I am unable to give you a clue about. All what I know is that the dish was exquisite.

What really made the food very delicious were the people who invited me. A very nice young couple who would just take you and adopt you as part of the family. I felt really at ease with them and we chatted about different things. The atmosphere of the restaurant also added to the charm. It was very relaxed and people were talking in very high voices, in fact it reminded me a bit of my country.

Today and tomorrow I will be giving more presentations and the school is doing a farewell party for me tomorrow morning.

A VISIT TO A PUBLIC SCHOOL 03-12-2008

2008-03-27T15:15:00Z

Today I visited a public school in the suburbs of Phoenix. At last, I could see how an American public school looks like. A very nice lady working for “teach for America” came to the school to drive me there. The school is really very far, it took us two hours to get there. It is a very big school and has 1800 students of all races. The classes I attended are special education classes. The students have some learning disabilities and are there to be helped to be able to catch up with the rest of the students.

I observed for the first hour the teacher doing jeopardy game. It was really attention grabbing as the students were mostly interested in the activity and participated actively in it.

Later I was introduced to the students and talked to them about my country, some of its traditions, the languages spoken there, etc. they asked me questions and there was a good interaction. I liked the school although my host was worried that I would see some of the behaviors I would not like. I usually start on field trips adopting a positive attitude. And, I still have the same feeling after going around the school: to the cafeteria, the gymnasium, the yard…

The area where the school is located is far from being Scottsdale or Paradise valley where I live and teach now, but I like it. I like to experience different things and to meet different people, and by going there I had that opportunity.

The kids there are more or less the same as the kids I teach in my classes. Life is already very hard on them; and so I think that we should value their work no matter what.

03-11-2008 MORE PRESENTATIONS AND A VISIT TO ANOTHER PRIVATE SCHOOL

2008-03-11T20:37:00Z

My week is one of the busiest. It started by a visit to another private school in Phoenix. The school is a catholic one and has only girls. I did 4 presentations about Morocco. The girls were very nice and were curious to know a lot about Moroccan culture. They burst into laughter when I asked them about dating in Morocco. They were surprised to know that Moroccan girls also go on dates. However, I explained to them that Moroccans stay very reserved concerning this matter. Girls would not tell their fathers that they have a boy friend and would go with him to the movie theater. All the presentations were interactive, so students, French teachers and Principal were very glad of my visit. They told me that Arizona is so far that they have very few opportunities of people going to the schools and talking to students. So, my presence in the school was very much welcomed. I was invited later by a French teacher to lunch. We went to “the Fish market” restaurant and I had a very delicious dish of fish and French fries.

In the afternoon, my host and I went downtown Phoenix. We just walked and we went to some very nice French stores that sell clothes I can’t even tell you about their prices. I was very humble at that very moment and kept on saying “hemm…. Very nice”. What else could I say? If I wanted to buy something from there, Morocco and US department of State should give me two more other Cheques like the one I got when I arrived. (ha ha ha)we have stores like that in Morocco too.

Tomorrow I will visit a public school. I will observe some classes and teach some others; this will give me a somewhat global idea of different kinds of schools in USA. On Friday I will be giving a lot of cultural presentations. However, I will be going t out to a museum and dinner with the vice principal and his wife, and I will be also attending a wedding party on Friday afternoon. So , as the French would say I am enjoying my time by “joining the useful to the agreeable””.

MY WEEKEND 03-10-2008

2008-03-11T04:28:00Z

My partner was not in Arizona during this weekend, so I had to improvise things for myself. In fact it was a nice weekend. It started Friday after school. I came back home at about two and had one of the most relaxing naps I have ever had since I came to the States. I woke up at 7:00 pm and I did not even know where I was, as I was so tired. I spent the evening watching a movie that I don’t even remember now. So, that was just fabulous!

Saturday was so special. My host’s neighbor who is more than eighty years old, drove me to a shopping mall. I really appreciate people like that; she is very serene and truly very nice. We chatted on our way to the mall and she admired the way I usually have my scarf fixed, she told me she could never do that. She was very smart in giving me some space once we got to the mall. Each of us went their ways and set a time to meet.

I bought so many things as usual. Whenever I go to a department store I buy a lot. I am one of those crazy women who are fond of shopping.

We got back home at noon, I had some lunch and I decided to go to another shopping place. So I decided to walk under the burning sun of Arizona. Dear Moroccan Fulbrighters I think I am the luckiest person as far as weather in concerned. It is very warm in here, anyway, Scottsdale, the city where I live now, is a sister city of Marrackech. The weather is just the same. I don’t want to get a tan though, “je suis assez bronzée comme ça” (ha ha ha).

I bought more stuff; I really need someone to tell me to stop buying. The reason why I am going on doing this is that, whenever I talk to my son, he asks me what I bought him and he asks for more. Now, because I am so far from him and I miss him so much, so I am getting him all those things that make me feel better (isn’t that crazy?).

And, on a whim, I decided to go to a restaurant alone, which I don’t do even in Morocco. I am in a country which is not mine, and I want to discover all the cultural aspects and the communication problems that one might have. So I just went and expected to be served . Hoever, I asked a man working there, and he was so nice that he told me some of the anecdotes. I told him that I was vegetarian and he said how come I was in so a good health eating only vegetables. When I paid him, and I gave him 100 dollars (I had no change) after asking me about my origin (he thought that I was from India) he asked if Moroccan women usually have so much cash with them. Any way, I enjoyed the meal so much and the man would come now and then to ask if I needed something.

On Sunday, I was invited to dinner by the parents of a student. They were very nice people and we became quite close from the first minute. We ate salads and a pizza in a beautiful restaurant. During the meal, they asked me about so many things about Morocco. Later, we went to a nice place that looks unto the whole city of Phoenix. On our way home, they took me to one of the most wonderful hotels of Arizona, it is called “The Phoenician”. It is a great place, we went into the hotel, enjoyed the place and they drove me back. I gave the mother and the daughter two Moroccan jewelry pieces and they were very happy with my gift.

Maybe this weekend can be considered as a plain one, but for me I learned a lot and experienced many new things. So I am just happy with this weekend as it enabled me to meet other people and share with them views concerning the similarities and differences between out two countries.

SEED: THE BOOK CLUB

2008-03-07T20:23:00Z

yesterday I attended a book club meeting named "Seed". My partner is
not here and so I was invited to join the club. In my honor we saw a
Moroccan film. the meeting lasted three hours. Just as we started, the
members had to check in and tell what they had been doing during the
previous month bacause they meet to discuss a book each month. they
went on talking about their problems or joys and the atmosphere was
very relaxed. I had to introduce myself as the members of the club are
both on compus and off compus, so some of them did not know me.
The second step was to watch a Moroccan film and have a Moroccan
dinner. They ordered the dinner from a resaurant called Fez, after the
name of one of the most traditional and beautiful Moroccan cities. In
fact the food was not all Moroccan but it was inspired from different
Arab countries, which made of it such a tasty mix. Every body liked it.
The film was done by a Moroccan, and he did it as a project while he
was studying at one of the colleges in California. It was about a
marriage fair that is celebrated in Morocco in one of the remotest
Berber areas in Morocco. In that festival, in fact, young men and
women go there to meet and eventually choose each other for marriage.
But as the film was just a student project, it was not very good
quality. The maker of the film was very kind to upload it for us from
Saudi Arabia where he lives for the time being. He was worried that I
would not like his view of an area in Morocco. I liked the film and
just explained to the club members that it does not reflect Morocco
but a very small part of it. Every body was aware of that and one of
the teachers said that it would be just like saying that "American
Beauty" reflects America, while it does not, it might reflect one very
small portion of it.
So we watched the film, ate our food and laughed a lot because the
film was funny.
At the end of the film, the club members started asking me very
different questions about Morocco and also about my experience in
America. we chatted for 45 minutes and we checked out. every body had
to say what they learned and what they liked. Apparently, they learned
a lot about Morocco and they all said they were glad I was there.
I really enjoyed the meeting and I talked to everybody as if I was
myself a member of the club. Later, a teacher drove me back home, I
was so tired that I slept at 9:00pm. But because of going to bed too
early (for me at least), I woke up at 4:00 am and could not go back to
sleep.
The experience was just amazing, and this is one of the things that I
will propose to do with my colleagues. In this way, at the same time
we can meet, talk and enjoy some meal and we will be able to stay in
touch with reading, a habit that tends to be disappearing.

DRAMA CLASSES

2008-03-06T19:34:00Z

Today I am teaching my host's classes all by myself. Today and
tomorrow I will be doing this as she is on a trip to Philadelphia. I
did this before when she could not come.I just feel that I am an
actual teacher in the school. I go to the faculy room, chat with
teachers, have coffee and feel fresh for a new long day. I feel I get
along with teachers and administration. yesterday I was very happy as
the head of the school had framed a painting that one of my Moroccan
students offered the school. It was just great in his office.
As I had the first block free, I attended another drama class. It was
just amazing as the teacher went from activity to another smoothly. It
was just fun and we exchanged some of the ideas about the art of
acting, although I prefer to work behind the curtains as a writer (for
kids of course)or director.
I had a similar experience in my school and I have been coaching the
drama club for two years now. The end of the year show was just
amazing as we did everyting from scratch. The students and I had to be
very inventive to create our modest decor, costumes and cast. I did
not have any background knowledge of the art of drama and acting, but
once I created the club on a whim, I think this is what I want to do
in the future. So now, I am friend with the drama teacher and every
now and then I attend classes or rehearsals to learn more and adopt
what I see appropriate for my club. I can be very creative in writing
and directing but not at all in acting while he is an actor. So, I am
very much interested in his talent and the way he guides his students.

DISNEY LAND

2008-03-06T01:44:00Z

This weekend I went to California, San Diego and Disney Land. What can
I say? Really gorgeous. I loved everything in San Diego, the bay, the
Balboa park and mostly the trees and floweres that give the city that
coziness that I appreciate so much.
I went to Disney land by myself as a big girl. I took the plane, the
train, the bus and the shuttle.I liked to see how I would get to my
destinations in USA by myself. Everything went smoothly as directions
are everywhere.
When I got to Disney Land I was surprised by the number of people,
lots and lots of families, friends and couples were there to enjoy the
place. I was wondering how I could enjoy things while I was alone, but
once again, providence was there for me. As I was standing on a line
for a show, two American ladies started talking to me and we
sypathised and SURPRISE!They asked me to join them for the rest of the
day. So we went from area to area, from entertainment to another, and
just as kids we enjoyed every bit of it. We also had lunch in a French
restaurant: New Orleans Café.
Every thing was amazing but the parade was even more amazing. the
theme this year is "The year of a Million dreams", I could say that it
was the year of a Billion dreams.
I liked everyting and I wished my son and husband were with me, but I
was even happier as I could make new friends.We took pictures and
exchanged emails, I am happy I am getting more and more friends.I am
learning more now on American people, this is really openness in the
real sense of the word.
THANK YOU SHEILA AND ERIN FOR MAKING THAT DAY A SPECIAL ONE.

A GOOD RECOGNITION

2008-03-05T19:33:00Z

Do you remember my project"Magic Carpet Ride through
Morocco?" well, it was so successful that The school is paying me for
it 150 dollars. It is not so much the money as it is the recognition.
I am sOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD.I will be using
part of it with my students in Morocco as I promised to take those who
score well to a coffee shop.

A FORUM FOR STUDENTS

2008-03-05T19:29:00Z

I have created a forum for students,I use this means of
learning with my students and I wanted to share it with American
students. So, I post lessons or exercises specifying the level. All
what they have to do is go to the forum and read the lesoons to be
discussed in class or do the exercises. I, of course correct the
exercises online and send them back to the students and that's
it.students can also express their ideas or send me messages there,
this is one of the best ways to connect to students.
I LOVE TECHNOLOGY
here is the forum's address in case you want to use the same procedure
or use my forum with your students
sedonarocks.bigforumpro.com

SLIDE SHOWS ABOUT MOROCCO

2008-03-05T19:26:00Z

This week, I have a very busy schedule. I am doing some observations
in some classes and some cultural presentations in others. So far, the
best presentation was with the 8th Graders of the whole school. About
ten teachers attended the presentation. It was an interactive one in
the sense that students were required to ask questions, make comments,
make comparisons or just give their impressions or opinions about such
or such cultural aspect. The slide show lasted 45 minutes and it was
really good. Students asked questions about Moroccan kids' musical
interests, about moroccan houses, Moroccan celebrations. I meant the
presentation to be an open window on the country and at the same time
I tried to highlight the similarities between all members of the human
race. I was applauded as I have never been applauded before. The only
thing now, is that all the teachers want me to do presentations in
their classes. I am trying very hard to fit them all in my schedule.
And this leaves me very little time to go to other schools. In any
case, I am very glad: kids love me very much and I received a lot of
invitations from their parents.