Traveling to Morocco

We arrived in Rabat on 3/14/17 in the late afternoon. After unpacking and getting situated a few us set out to check out the medina. The medina was starting to get busy with evening bustle of activity. The smells, sights, sounds are hard to explain through pictures, but trust me when I say it unlike anything that exists in the US. We did not have much time as we had our first meeting with our host facilitator Houria, a local english teacher.

March 15th: First full day in Rabat Morocco.. We started the day with a visit to the U.S. Embassy, unfortunately we were unable to take any photos while at the embassy. However, we did meet with the informational resource educational outreach coordinator and got a briefing on educational challenges in Morocco. Although the educational structure of Morocco is progressing there are many challenges that they still face. The U.S. Embassy is working to help provide education to those who may not currently have access to school. Currently there are only a few schools in the entire country that have resources for deaf children. Most children with disabilities do not attend any schooling, as there are no teachers, money or resources for them. Currently only 20% of school age children in Morocco graduate high school... There are many factors that contribute to this and there are many people working to change this. Like most problems communities face, money and infrastructure are the two challenges that are preventing the needed changes.

In the afternoon we had a training session on the history and culture of Morocco. Having been to Morocco I thought I had a fairly good grasp on culture. However, it did not take long to realize that my simple tourist observations and the bit of research I did prior to my first visit provided me with just a touch of an understanding of Morocco. Houria gave us a lesson on the history and culture of Morocco. This was so helpful and needed... tying in the past to present life and having someone explain the reasons for the different attire, dialects, greetings etc.. is crucial to really understand the people and the country.

In the evening we visited the Hassan II Tower and Mausoleum. I do not think the pictures really capture the beauty and magnificence of the architect and design.

At this point I am beyond exhausted.. Our days are not only really long and I am starting to feel the effects of the long travel day..

March 16th: Our day started with a lesson on the educational system of Morocco. The U.S. Embassy visit provided the foundation but Houria provided first hand knowledge of daily life in a Moroccan school. Unlike U.S schools where control is governed primarily at the state level and funding is primarily provided at the local level, Moroccan schools are governed and funded at the national level. There is a mandatory curriculum and testing at each grade. In order to graduate high school students must pass a nation wide baccalaureate exam. Teachers have very little, if any, room to diverge from the set curriculum.

After our lesson we visited two schools in Rabat: Moulay Youssef High School and Abi Dar Alghiffaari School. Moulay Youssef is a high school that has a boarding school option and follows a very strict traditional teaching approach. The school was solely focused on academics and there were no fine arts or focus on social, community and personal development. Abi Dar Alghiffaari is more progressive, while they adhere to the ministries directives, they do so in a creative way. Music, art, public speaking, debating and other development skills were integrated into the daily academic day. The school climates were drastically different.

Mouly Youaaf students were much more cautious in what they were allowed to say and any political discussions were not allowed. The opposite was true at Abi Dar Alghiffaari. Students were allowed to ask and discuss politics in the classroom. Students were very interested and educated about our political system. One of the first question that was asked is do the U.S. people agree with President Trumps immigration policy and why do we have such a dislike and fear of Muslims. They want people to understand that true Muslims are very peaceful people, that terrorist and ISIS do not represent Islam and they are just as fearful of them as we are. It was amazing to see these students speak so passionately about there religion and culture and the desire to educate westerns about their life. One female student wanted us to know that wearing a Hijab was in no way repressive and women are highly regarded in a true Muslim society.

March 17: Started our day with a visit and discussion with Moroccan-American Commission on Educational and Cultural Exchange. We learned various programs, including the Fullbright program, that are available to students and educators. Many discussions about the history of education in Morocco and the many roadblocks that still face many Moroccans, especially those who live in rural areas.

University visist to Ecole Normale Superieure. There were several presentations given from TGC fellows and from the Moroccan students. ENS is a year long teacher training program that students take after their university studies. The students were very excited to speak with us and learn about "best practices" and technology use that American teachers use in their classrooms. The students had great energy and seem to have very progressive outlook on how to best meet the needs of students.

There are so many roadblocks that teachers and student have to face here in Morocco. For starters, teachers do not get to choose or apply to specific schools or locations. They are placed in an area of the country that the Ministry of Education chooses for them. They could be in a rural village or a city school. They also do not have any freedom in what they are teaching, rather they follow a strict curriculum that is universal throughout the country.

Their are many language barriers that are present as well. Moroccans speak a variation of Arabic known as Moroccan Arabic, however, all books and instruction is done in traditional Arabic. Students also speak french and various Berber dialects at home, so they must learn a different language for school. Public schools teach English and many schools offer two different instructional tracks. Students can choose to be taught all subjects in Traditional Moroccan or English.

If students choose to further their education and attend the University it is taught in English. This is very difficulty for students who have not had much experience with English or those in rural villages that may not have English tracts available. This is one of the reasons that people may not choose to attend the University.

March 18th: Travel to Agadir- The 6 hour trip turned into a 9 hour trip due to the difficulties of navigating Agadir. Our driver was not from the area and coupled with the lack of street signs our trip was much longer than expected. Luckily I slept for a large portion of the ride. I did manage to get a few pictures of the countryside.

March 19th: Trip to Taradoudant- My partner teacher, Jill Ritchey from Alabama, has a close friend who is from a remote village 2 hours from Agadir. It just so happens that Zubair, is visiting his family in Morocco for a wedding. We meet up with Zubair in Taradount and he took us around the Souke, local outdoor market, for shopping and sightseeing. Shopping in Morocco is so different then shopping in the U.S.. You are expect to haggle with sellers and it is very difficult to haggle when you do not speak Arabic or Berber. Taradoudant is a Berber village and most people speak Berber. We got a very real Moroccan experience, from shopping to eating which ended with a Moroccan taxi ride with 7 people crammed into a small car. The market sellers did not like that we had a local shopping with us. One seller, who happened to speak fairly good English, asked us to come back to his shop without our lawyer so he could make some money..

Met with our teacher Karim Benlaayouni this evening. Amazing that although our languages, culture and geographic location are extremely different we share common educational and societal goals. I am really excited to be in school with his students.

March 20th: First day at Saada High School In Aït Melloul Morocco. Students, faculty and administration were all so welcoming. I gave my "life in Alton" presentation and the students loved it. They were really curious about the lockers, cafe and the nurses office. The students are all very affectionate and lots of check to check greetings and hugs.

March 21: The afternoon we attended a diversity day at the University and sat in on some presentations about human rights and discrimination. Most of the presentations were in Arabic, although I could only understand a few words, the experience was amazing. I do not get to hear Arabic often and it is a beautiful language. My host teacher Karim gave an amazing presentation about racism in English. His presentation was spot on: Discrimination results from media, lack of education and willingness to be open and the actions of a few. Karim is working towards his PhD and is very well versed in English, human rights and equality. After the presentation we went went to Karim's house for a traditional Moroccan meal with his family. They loved the gifts I presented them from New Hampshire and PMHS.

March 22: Campus cleanup and art recycling day at Saad High School. The Biology class happens to be studying pollution and the carbon cycle so my lesson went perfect with what they are learning. Students were very eager to cleanup and hold the same values as most of us about littering and recycling. After the cleanup the students recycled some trash and made sculptures and drew pictures. One of the posters was so nice that the Karim asked the student to make a mural in his classroom. What is amazing is that although the students have no formal art classes, many of them are very talented and spend time outside of class learning and practicing art on their own. They either YouTube instructions or work in small groups learning from each other. I find that many of the students are really dedicated to their studies and spend time outside of class working on their English skills or other passions.

Saad High School is different from the other schools I visited. The faculty and headmaster understand that students need more then just strict academic instruction. The focus of this week has been on social skills, school spirit and life after high school. This is mostly unheard of in many Moroccan schools. The students have been busy making murals around the school. The murals are solely the students design and their is no instruction or direction from teachers. The students so take so much pride in their religion, education and environment it is remarkable.

March 23rd: Winter Carnival Moroccan style... This is an extremely rare event for any Moroccan school and the first of its kind at Saad High School. So many students came even though attendance was not taken. It was really neat to see that we do some similar events (tug of war, human pyramid), however, their events are a tad bit more basic due to lack of resources. The games were followed by an elaborate awards presentation. Jill and I handed out an award and were both presented with a gift from a student. We were each given a name card with our names in Arabic and Berber that were drawn by a student.. Curious, do you think PMHS students would be as engaged if our games were as simple for our winter carnival? I bet they would love musical chairs. Check out the pictures to see the simplicity and comment in your email..

March 24th: Our last day at Saad High School with a farewell luncheon at one of the teachers farms. The school hosted their first ever college and career fair. The event started with presentations from the Ministry of Education, Headmaster, Teachers and Jill and I (about college and career readiness at our schools). After lunch classrooms had a variety of presentations about post high school options. Students were very sad to see us go and they gave us a wonderful farewell. After our presentation one of the teachers announced that he does not want this relationship that we have made stop and hopes that this is just a start. Jill and I have plans for how we will continue with this.. Hope you are all excited to connect with the students from Saad High School..

Jill and I then headed out to a Berber village where one of her close friends is from. The two hour drive turned into a much longer trip. This is known as Moroccan time where everything takes a bit longer then expected.. I am one for punctuality and am starting to get into the grove of tardiness... However, this is not an excuse to be late for school or class....