Training

This week formal teacher training started. We talked about lesson planning, communication, discipline, etc. To tell you the truth I was kind of dreading the meetings before the week started. We had to sit in a hot room (it was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside) with only two fans to keep all of us from melting. Given the topic, I assumed that the week would consist of quiet, predictable meetings that would review relatively familiar information. It wasn’t.

We did review information that was familiar, but the meetings were anything but quiet and predictable. They were hilarious, bilingual, loud, often tangential conversations that illuminated a world of difference between American and Arab culture.

Ok so I am obviously not an expert on Arab culture. But throughout teacher training the differences between the European/American cultural norms and Arab cultural norms were very stark at times. For example, today we were talking about being clear and concise in instruction. For all of us foreigners this seemed like a straight forward requirement. When the translator began telling everyone about clarity and conciseness in Arabic, however, all of the Arab teachers began speaking at once. They proceeded to all go around and discuss the exact definition of each word, how it was beneficial, and how they felt they would implement it in their classroom. This was the norm for every topic we discussed. I chose this example because I think it is particularly funny that our discussion on “clear and concise” was really neither clear nor concise.

The hilarity of the situation increased when I realized the obvious contrast between the American/European teachers and the Arab teachers. The non-Arab teachers were quiet and did not interject ideas without first politely raising their hand or waiting for a precious millisecond of silence. (as one of 8 children I have to admit this whole dynamic was way too familiar—it brought me back to many dinner table discussions and spirited debates). As the week progressed the group dynamics began to change. Some of us non-Arabs even began to feel the freedom of unrestrained interjection. This added to the chaos. But hey we all felt heard. So that’s probably a good thing.

During the meetings we watched instructional videos, made by the school director, in order to introduce topics and glean an understanding of school procedures and culture. While the concepts of these videos seemed easy enough to grasp, every person felt the need to comment and discuss every point made in the video. An 8 minute video took us over an hour to watch due to stopping for translation and inevitably diverging into discussion of a vaguely related topic. The whole scene was a humorous conglomeration of Arabic and English whirling around a hot, sticky classroom filled with talkative, opinionated teachers. It was beautiful chaos.

At times the constant commentary, questions, and outbursts seemed counter-productive or frustrating, but there was something about the atmosphere of the room that I enjoyed. All of the hullabaloo revealed that the teachers really cared about learning, teaching, and succeeding at their jobs. We all want to create nurturing, beneficial learning environments where the students will thrive and grow to love learning. The constant comments and questions were not selfish or prideful. About 50% of  the time the discussion was about how to more accurately translate a word into Arabic (this is my favorite part of the discussion, I feel wonderfully lost until I recognize a random word—recognizing a random word in a foreign language when people are speaking a million miles an hour around you is one of the most satisfying things ever). The other half of the time the teachers were discussing the benefits and or pitfalls of certain teaching methods, modes of communication or discipline procedures.

The chaotic discussion also revealed to me the deeply relational and emotional nature of arab culture. Discussion is important. Everyone is allowed to voice their unfiltered opinion and or criticize someone else’s suggestion. And no one is offended. (or at least they don’t seem to be). The open, unfiltered discussion is refreshing. Everyone has a voice and is entitled to offer their own ideas for group revision. This communal brainstorming is a lot of fun for me. You get to learn how others think and process ideas. You also discover different individual values as well as cultural norms based on each person’s suggestions. It is really fascinating.