Guiding Question and reflection

My Guiding Question

As per the requirement of the IREX, I submitted my guiding question sometimes in late February although I have been thinking about it for a while. I remember all of us discussing about it when we met in Washington DC in early February for the Global symposium. I am an elementary school teacher and for my students (myself included) routines and rituals are extremely important. 

Additionally, my school serves very poor inner city students where a lot of them lack structure and thereby experience unpredictability in their home life which in turn creates anxiousness. Thus routine/ rituals are of utmost importance to me as a teacher as it give them the feeling of safety and comfort as takes away the anxiety that comes from unpredictability. I have always been interested in finding new ways of creating an anxiety free learning environment where students will know what to expect and hence will feel empowered. 

Hence my guiding question was : "What are the routines and rituals practiced in Moroccan schools to create a harmonious, safe and encouraging learning space for all kinds of learners (including those at at different learning levels) ?"

Reflection

My international fieldwork placement was at "Dhar Ben Ayad High School" in the beautiful blue city of Chefchaouen, Morocco. When I found out the exact place and school I would be visiting, I realized I might not be able to witness exactly what was in my mind, as routines and rituals in elementary schools differ quite a lot from high schools. But honestly, it did not matter. I knew I would be visiting other schools during my stay, although I might not spend as much time in those. I was sure I would have many learning moments.

Within a few minutes of my visit to this beautiful institution, "Dhar Ben Ayad" High school, I knew what I was looking for. As soon as I stepped into the school, I felt a very positive energy. Millions of questions came rushing to my mind! I wanted to understand the "climate and culture" of this school.

• I wanted to know how the teachers here make connections with their students.

• Does the administration make any extra effort to connect with students?

• How is the relationship between parents and the administration?

• How does the administration deal with adverse student behavior, and how do they communicate it with parents?

• I wanted to know how the young high schoolers perceive social injustice and if they speak up.

• How much awareness is there about climate change, and what are these students thinking and doing about it?

I also felt a stark similarity between the Moroccan school system and the Indian school system. There is an overall perception of education and educators in society that is very similar to what I grew up with (my entire K-12 schooling was in India), and I wanted to dig deep to understand if I was indeed right.

In the next one week, I found answers to all my questions and learned much more. I had open discussions with students about social issues (inside and outside of classroom )like "homelessness," "divorce," "underage marriage," and "polygamy." We chatted about music, street art and movies.We spoke candidly about current geopolitical issues, the hurt and anguish it is causing and how we all want peace to prevail in the end. 

I witnessed how this entire country, including the student population, is extremely climate-conscious and doing everything in their power and beyond to be kind to the Earth. Recycling is part of their day-to-day life; not being wasteful is also part of that. Their lunch boxes and re-painted pencil cases that they have been reusing for years are evidence of that.

Teachers did not care about lack of resources. There was only one projector and speaker in the building but a whole lot of happy educators who shared the resources with no issues as all. They were brilliant at what they were doing, connecting and engaging with each and every student. Even without understanding a single word in some of the classrooms, I could feel the energy. The EFL classes were particularly interesting to me as I got a chance to co-teach several times and also participate in group discussions and understand how English is taught in Morocco. It was one of the most rewarding experiences and I cannot thank my host teacher "Aziz Maruan" enough for that.

I particularly remember one day when we were invited into the office of the principal and the chief administrator of the school while they were in a meeting with a parent whose son was in trouble for bad behavior. We were told that this student had used unacceptable language on various occasions in school and had shown disrespect. Although we did not understand Arabic, I was hesitant at first to enter the room, thinking about privacy. However, from what I witnessed, it was apparent how much trust the parent had in the administration, believing that they had the best interest of his child at heart. At the same time, I saw how the administrators pointed out the problem with compassion and dealt with the matter, showing how invested they were in this student. It was evident that the school is a big part of this community, and parents and staff work together and have mutual trust. Teachers and administrators know their students, know their families, and there is a societal respect for education and educators. This is where the similarity with India lies, which I felt as I stepped into the school building for the first time.

I became a true lover of this beautiful Moroccan community, and I will forever long to go back to this place and teach. And enjoy the midday mint tea with amazing cookies !!!!

This led me to eventually revise my guiding question to the following : "How do school climate, daily practices, and relationship-centered leadership in Moroccan schools contribute to student's sense of safety, belonging, and provide an empowering learning environment  particularly in the context of students in under-resourced communities as well as social and cultural challenges ?