Back from Morocco

So now that I'm back from Morocco, and settled once again in my daily routine, what do I take away from the trip? As a historian, I know that over time, the lessons from Morocco will become clearer as time passes. But I also know that it's important to record my impressions as they occur, so here are a few, in no particular order:

-- The hospitality that we were shown throughout the country, in schools, and in homes throughout Morocco was amazing. One of the joys of our trip was being able to spend so much time in private homes, and away from the hotels and tourist spots (although being a tourist was fun, too). However, the food was amazing, and trying to find mint tea that tastes like what we had in Morocco is proving to be a challenge. I also loved the fact that people wanted to discuss politics with us. We had gotten the advice to avoid politics and religion, and it was a delight that the second question we were asked (after, "How do you like Morocco?") was, "Will President Obama be re-elected?" It allowed us to share our ideas openly, and to ask questions that helped us understand their view of the US and its policies. While I didn't agree with everything I heard, I understand their perspective in a way atha I hadn't before. Hospitality is an ancient custom, but what can we all learn to be more hospitable?

-- Tolerance is something that we often talk about in our class, but I don't think that I realized the impact that some of the dialogue in the US had on the students in Morocco. The Moroccan students knew about the Qur'an burning in Florida, the Islamic center in Manhattan, and the Congressional hearings on Islamic radicalization, and they were hurt and even offended by many of those comments. I think that the one lesson that I would like to bring back to my US students is that scapegoating people is never justified. The one lesson that I hope that the students in Morocco understand is that the vast majority of Americans do not share those prejudices. It makes me think of my own prejudices and biases, and what can I do to change them?

-- The visit to Bayt Bahia, the orphanage for abandoned special needs children, was also a difficult experience that I will never forget. I'm not really a "baby person," but when I held and rocked those children and played with them, I realized that all of us need to do more to prevent children from being neglected, and need to do more to help those that are neglected. If you and I don't help, who will? My goal is to have our church make Bayt Bahia a mission project, and take up a collection at least once per year to help benefit the children. It's hard enough for special needs children under the best circumstances, but these little ones have been dealt a difficult hand. Bayt Bahia reminds me of the power of service -- I hope that many of the students in Beni Mellal take up Madame Massaq's challenge, and volunateer there.

-- Most of the time, it is difficult to know what events will be historically significant until they are over, and we have the chance to see that event with the benefit of hindsight. I believe that the revolutions that occured in the Arab world in the spring of 2011 will be seen as historical. What started in Tunisia and Egypt, and expanded to Libya, Syria, and other places has the potential to bring changes to people on the same scale as the fall of communism did in the 1990s. It was exciting to speak to students who are in the midst of history, and to see their reactions. I was also thrilled that King Mohammed VI addressed the Moroccan people during our stay, and promised to set up a commission with the charge to limit the constitution power of the monarchy in Morocco. As a historian, I am naturally reluctant to make predictions, since it is hard to understand what has already happened, but even harder to understand things that are happening now. However, I believe that the events across the "Middle East" and in Morocco in particular are historic. I think that Thomas Jefferson, wherever he is, is happy to see that more people are choosing independence, and self-government, as he knew that they would.

-- Overall, going to Morocco reminded me that of the value of travel and dialogue. I've been fortunate to travel to many places in the US, Canada and Mexico, but this was my first experience traveling beyond North America. Just being in Morocco and being able to talk to people, visit places like Chellah in Rabat (the Roman ruins) that pre-date anything in the US, and understand a society that functions much like our own, but with unique differences, was something that helped me grow and learn, and that was a good feeling.

So, that is all for now. Please check the blog archives for March 2011 for my entries while I was traveling in Morocco, and on Flickr, look for "Morocco 2011" to see the pictures I took during my trip. This is a good time to mention that the opinions that I expressed in these blog posts are my own, and do not represent the opinions of the US Department of State, IREX, Teaching Excellence Awards, International Leaders in Education Program, or the Global Classrooms program. I am also grateful to those entities for their support in my travels and experiences. Au revoir!

On the Road in Morocco -- March 16th - 17th (Part II)

Our last two days were working with teachers and students back in Beni Mellal and nearby schools. Ms. Skarsten and I presented workshops for teachers of English on Professional Learning Communities and Service Learning. Professional Learning Communities are an idea that means that teachers work together to plan activities, rather than just working independently. It also means that teachers work together to have a plan when students are not learning. During the workshop, the teachers were able to create a plan to help students who were having trouble with writing essays. We also asked the teachers to think about obstacles that they faced if they decided to have PLCs in their school. The biggest problem that they could foresee was a lack of time. Our advice was to try to set up PLCs in small steps, in other words, to solve one little problem at a time, rather than trying to solve big problems right away. Hopefully, that is good advice to solve any problem.

The next presentation was a lesson that Ms. Skarsten prepared for the students about climate change. Students and teachers from the school participated together the lesson, and then the teachers stayed when students went to their next class. Then I presented a workshop on Service Learning. The idea is that if students are studying a problem in class, there might be a chance to actually do a service project related to what is being studied. So for example, if students are studying climate change, what kind of service could they do to actually help reduce global warming?

We also had the opportunity to visit more classes during our last two days. We saw a literature class, a Spanish class, and spent more time with Ms. Massaq's English class. We were very impressed that the literature class was answering difficult questions regarding a novel that they were reading, and that almost all of the students were participating. Since the class was taught in French, I was fortunate that one of the students was whispering the answers in my ear (in English). The Spanish class was also impressive. It was taught completely in Spanish, rather than translating things from Arabic or French, which were the languages that the students knew. However, the teacher was also putting English and Italian on the board, just to show how all those languages were connected. It was definitely a stretch to keep up for me, but the students seemed to expect it.

One of the more interesting things that we were able to see was on our visit to a private school. While the teaching in the public school classes we saw was excellent, there was no way getting around the fact that the classrooms were very spartan, classes were crowded with 40 students crammed into a class, and students often had to share books. There was no technology in classrooms, no heat or air conditioning, and often broken windows. The computer lab was not state-of-the-art. Yet, teachers were teaching and students were learning. The private K-12 school was very different. In fact, they looked like a U.S. classroom. They were bright, had bulletin boards on the walls, nice desks, and were definitely less crowded. The technology center was more up-to-date with computers and internet access, and there was also art instruction going on, which was not available in the public school. Equity in schools is an issue in the U.S. as well as Morocco. Even though learning does not require all kinds of fancy buildings and equipment, it's important to think about whether it's fair that some children have more advantages then others? What do you think? And what is the solution? Would you take things away from schools that have more or better facilities? is that fair? If our country spent more on education, who would have to pay for it?

We had the opportunity to have one more dinner at a restaurant in Beni Mellal, which was nice since the rain finally stopped (it had been raining since Saturday). Our final dinner was a delicious couscous with sweet raisins on top, at Ms. Massaq's home. Several relatives were there, and it was a nice ending to the last full day of our trip. After our goodbyes, the only thing left was the trip the following morning to the airport in Casablanca for our flight back home. So that is all I have for now. These notes were actually typed back in California, since I was unable to get online before leaving Morocco. I will also post some final thoughts in a day or two, and add some pictures to the blog posts. So for now, thanks for reading!

On the Road in Morocco -- March 15th - 17th

Monday, we spent the day in the capital city, Rabat. We meet two American teachers who are beginning their exchange in Morocco, and also American students who are studying in Morocco. Morocco has a very different school system than the US in some ways, and they are alike in other ways. They have elementary, middle and high schools (they call high schools "secondary schools"), and they have to pass a test to move on. They have 12 grades just like we do. But in Morocco, all public schools are run by the central government in Rabat. The individual regions (like states) or local governments do not have a say in the schools. They also have private schools that are paid for by familiies that don't want a public education. What do you think about the idea of private schools? Would you like to attend one? Do you think it would be different than the public school you attend now?

We took a tour of the Chellah, which are ruins from the times that the Romans occupied North Africa. It is amazing to see buildings that were constructed so long ago. In Los Angeles, anything over 100 years old is considered historic. These ruins are almost 2000 years old, and you can still see most of the original construction. We also visited the Oudaya, which was a pirate fort. You might remember that we talked about the Barbary pirates of the early 19th century, but this fort was built before then, in the 17th century. We wanted to visit the Mausoleum where King Mohammed V is buried (he was the first king of modern Morocco when they gained independence from France in 1957), but couldn't get in because we found out that the current king was coming to make a speech, so the mausoleum was closed. I would have been fun to see the king! By the way, one of the interesting things that I learned from the pirate era is that the area right on the beach was considered the worst place to live. Now people want to live near the beach, but during the 17th and 18th century that was a place to put the graveyard, right next to the pirate fort. That way, if they were attacked, there would be a buffer zone between the ocean where the attack was coming from, and the people on land.

Tuesday was a day to drive back to Beni Mellal, and Wednesday and Thursday will be our last days in Morocco before we fly out Friday. I'm going to end my post for now, but I'll continue in my next posts to tell about our conversations with the teachers and students. So for now, au revoir

On the Road in Morocco -- March 11th - 14th

Friday, we drove to the city of Marrakesh. Marrakesh is city that is well known as a trading center throughout history. The first place that we went to was the city square, where there is a huge open air market. We found out that the square was once known as the "square of death," since at one time public executions were held there and up to 45 people a day might be beheaded and their heads would be displayed on the city gates to deter anyone else that was thinking of committing a crime. Fortunately, those days are long gone, and the market had merchants welling everything from fresh vegetables, meat and spices to souvenirs. We also saw the city wall, which protected the city. If you see a picture of the wall, you will notice holes in the wall. Can you guess the purpose of the holes? We wondered, too, and found out that they were there to allow the wall to contract and expand without cracking. It was raining, so we went to the home we were staying at for the night. There was no internet, so I am posting this a few days late.

One of the most interesting things about shopping in Morocco is that some of the shops will allow their customers to bargain. We were all looking for great deals, and the merchants were trying to make money, so it is really a game of strategy between buyer and seller. I was looking for a bowl to bring home to my wife, and traditional Moroccan clothing for my daughter. One thing that was really important was to get things that were traditional Moroccan items, not just keychains or I love Morocco t-shirts (although I have nothing against those things). Let's just say that I found what I was looking for, and a lot more. I thought I got a great deal, and the merchants all seemed to be smiling, too. It was fun, and now I have to figure out how to get it all home!

One of the things that is most interesting about Morocco is the importance of hospitality. Our hosts will not let us do anything! We are served first at meals, and instead of staying at hotels we have been invited into peoples' homes. Everyone is interested in what we think about Morocco, and they always tell us how open and accepting the Moroccan people are. We certainly agree! Hospitality is something that we can do even if there are no guests in our homes. Are you hospitable to new students transfering to our school, or new neighbors who move near you? How about subsitute teachers, who are guests at our school? Being a good host is an ancient custom, when travelers had to trust their lives to their hosts, and not only makes the guest feel good, but the host as well. Ms. Skarsten and I are thinking of a way to thank our hosts for this hospitality. How do you think that we can be as good a guest as our hosts have been good hosts? If you have been reading, maybe you would like to post an idea.

Marrakesh is more than an ancient city. There are modern shopping malls, and the city has a film festival and other art activities. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Do you know other world heritage sites? How could you find them? Have you ever been to one?

More posts coming soon about our day in Rabat, the capital city of Morocco. Stay tuned!

On the Road in Morocco March 10th (part II)

March 8th was International Women's Day, and it was celebrated by giving all of the women at our hotel and at school a flower. The principal called a special meeting in the teacher's lounge, and told the teachers that they needed to give lessons about womens' rights and making women equal members of society. Morocco is a very traditional society, and many men and women think that there are mens' jobs and womens's jobs. When we spoke to the students, they told us that women were expected to do all the cooking and cleaning in the house. Ms. Skarsten asked them if they were going to go to the university, and almost everyone said, "yes." Then she asked them if their mother was going to go with them, and when they said, "no," she asked who was going to do their laundry? Would they bring it all home? How about cooking? McDonalds every day? (Yes, there are McDonalds in Morocco). Ms. Skarsten said that the boys needed to learn how to cook and clean, and that girls needed to know how to change a tire and fix things in the house when they are broken. I added that when the US was founded, women, Native Americans, and African-Americans did not have equal rights. I told them that as each group achieved the rights that they are entitled to, the US became a better country. Now there are women as leaders of companies, governors of states and members of Congress, and several women have been Secretary of State of the United States. And of course, an African-American, Barack Obama, is President of the United States.

So at the end of the day, we left our hotel and went out to eat. It is unusual for Moroccans to eat out, as most meals are eaten at home. However, there are many cafes where people can sit, drink tea, talk and watch as people walk around the city streets. Even in a smaller place like Beni Mellal, the streets are busy at night with people and families out.

Speaking of food, breakfast and lunch are the big meals of the day, and dinner is a smaller meal, like a snack. We are eating breakfast as the hotel, and usually it is breads, sliced tomatoes, yogart, cheese, and fresh orange juice. Moroccan meals are served on bowls in the center of the table, and everyone just takes what they want. There are usually salads, with fresh fruit at the beginning of the meal, also lots of dates, olives, and breads. Then comes the main course. Yesterday for lunch, we had couscous, which is a kind of pasta that looks like rice. It was delicious! It was served with vegetables, and we ate serveral servings. Then we had a dessert of huge, juicy oranges, bananas (which are smaller than we have in California), and apples. We were served tea, and thanked our host for a wonderful meal before heading back to school for the afternoon classes.

Tomorrow, we will tour a farm, teach more classes, and see a movie (in French), and listen to a discussion (also in French). Now, I am going to check on a speech that King Mohammed VI of Morocco made last night on TV. I heard he was proposing to makeimportant changes to help the Moroccan people gain more democracy. Morocco elects their leaders, but people want even more power to make changes in the government, and even kings need to listen to their people. How could you find out about the government of Morocco? How could you find the news about King Mohammed VI's speech?

Post your responses for extra credit if you can find out answers to my questions.

On the Road in Morocco -- March 9th - 10th

Yesterday, I was unable to post due to internet problems at the hotel. They have internet in the lobby and first floor only, and my room is on the third floor, so I have to come down to the lobby every morning to post before breakfast. But yesterday, the man who was supposed to turn on the internet was late, so I was unable to post before breakfast. They other thing that I am doing each morning is talking to my wife and daughter via Skype. This is a free internet service, and I am calling them at 6:30 AM, and it is 10:30 PM the previous day in LA. So it is already Thursday morning in Morocco for me when I am talking to my family Wednesday night in California.

We've spoken to many students during the past two days. When I asked them how they found out about the US, they always tell me about the movies they've seen. That is how they think that Americans are all rich and the we have lots of crime and murders in our cities. I explained that this was not the case most of the time, that while murders and violent crime do happen, most days go by with students just going to school and parents just going to work, and everyone just living their lives.

Most of the students ask about US students. I tell them that they wear the same tennis shoes, and clothing as US students. They have cell phones and text, and play video games. They watch soccer on TV (except they call it "football" -- the game that we call "football," they call "American football") and watch movies, The Simpsons, Oprah and Dr. Phil. Apparently the big news this week in entertainment is that Justin Beiber got a haircut.

I was more concerned with other questions that many of the students asked. That question was, "Why do Americans hate Muslims?" "Why do Americans think that all Muslims are terrorists?" I explained to the Moroccan students that just like they had stereotypes of Americans, many Americans had stereotypes of Muslims and Arabs. Do you know what a stereotype is? A stereotype is when you think of people as a group, not as individuals. So if someone says, "People in Los Angeles are laid back," or "Kids are not responsible," they are using stereotypes. Maybe some people in LA are laid back, and maybe some kids are irresponsible, not not everyone is that way because that is a stereotype.

Each of us answered in a different way. I told them that some people in the US were afraid, and that when people are afraid, they often did not make good decisions. I told them that in US history, many different groups have come to our country, and that many people were afraid then, too. I said that Germans came in the late 1700s, Irish Catholics and Chinese came in the 1800s, and Italians, East European Jews, and others came in the early 1900s, people were afraid that they would ruin America. But that didn't happen, and each group that came to the US brought culture and new ideas, and adapted to American society. And the people who were fearful began to accept the newcomers, and become less fearful. Now we have immigration from Latin America and there are more Muslims in the US, and that I have no doubt that those Americans who are fearful will eventually become more accepting and tolorent, but that sometimes it is a slow process. Ms. Skarsten pointed out that one of the ways that people become more inderstanding is by getting to know each other, and that international exchanges like this one are one way that things will get better, and misunderstandings and stereotypes. I wish that some of the political leaders in the US could have heard the questions that the students are asking. If they had, they would know about the hurt that they are causing, and how wrong they are to think that Muslims are bad people. As I told one student, there are Muslim terrorists, Christian terrorists, Jewish terrorists, and terrorists who are non-believers. The one thing that they have in common is that they are murderers, not heroes. I said that a hero would die for his country, but would rather live and help his country. I terrorist is just a murderer.

On the Road in Morocco-- March 8th

Yesterday, we went to visit the children at Bayt Bahia, which means "Bahia's House" in Arabic. Bayt Bahia is a home for abandoned children who are also disabled. There were about 10 children there, and some had physical disabilities, and others had developmental disabilities, and most probably had both. They were abandoned when their mothers could not take care of them. Our host teacher in Morocco, Ms. Massaq, is the head of the organization that raises money to help these children. The children live there, and are taken care of with a nurse and other helpers. They also receive physical therapy and other services. Would you be interested in helping these children?

We also went to the medina, which is the open air market. I have to admit that there were very few local items for sale. Most of the things were from China. Have you ever heard of the "pleasant goat"? It is a cartoon character, and it looks like "Hello Kitty," but it's a goat. We also went to a sky-diving competition at the Beni Mellal Airport. There were skydivers from Germany, France and Morocco parachuting. I think that the idea is to hit a target as close as you can, and they were all pretty good.

We also learned about Islam. The mineret at the mosque is the tallest building in town, and their broadcast a call to prayer 5 times per day. The first call is at 5 am, and they continue throughout the day. We saw some people had to the mosque, and others just kept doing what they were doing, just like the US.

Finally, I made a Skype call this morning (Tuesday) to my wife and daughter at home (it is Monday night in Los Angeles). It is cool to speak to them, I wish there was a camera on my iPad, and then I could see them, too. I am keeping up on the news online, since all of the TV is in French and Arabic here.

We are all following the news in Libya. You should check it out, too.

On the Road in Morocco -- March 7th

This was our first day at Hassan II Secondary School. Debbie Skarsten, my partner teacher from Ohio, and I met Mme. Fatimezzahara Massaq at the front of the hotel just in time for 8:00 period 1 class. The students take 3 one hour classes in the morning, then go to lunch until 2 PM, and then have to go back to school for 3 hours in the late afternoon. How would you like to be on that schedule? Another big difference is that instead of the students moving each period, the teachers move from class to class, and the students stay in class. One thing that I liked was that when the teacher enters or exits class, all students stand in respect.

Today the students were able to just ask questions about the United States. Some of the questions were "What are girls like in the US?" and others were serious questions about Muslims in the US and the Palastinian-Israeli issue. Most of the questions were about what kind of food we ate, whether we knew anything about Morocco, and what were students like in the US. What questions should I ask students in Morocco.

This afternoon, we are going to a school for abandoned children with specifal needs, and then we are going to the medina, which is a traditional open air market.
I word about the hotel rooms. They are pretty much like a US Hotel, except that they have smoking allowed (yuk!). The biggest differences are the plugs and the electicity, and also that bathrooms all have bidets, which is part of the French influence on Morocco. Do you know the purpose of a bidet? I didn't until I watched a Youtube video on how to use them.

Ok, it's back to school. I'm still having trouble posting the pictures, but there are plenty, so keep reading!

On the Road to Morocco March 4th-6th

Greetings from Beni Mellal, Morocco!
I hope that everyone is doing well, and that you are doing a good job while I'm gone. My plane left Friday morning at 6:30 am, landed in New York City where I met my partner, Debbie Skarsten, a math teacher from Ohio, and we left for Morocco about 3 hours later. We arrived in Casablanca, the biggest city in Morocco, the next morning at 6:45 am, and met Ms. Fatimezzahara Massaq, who teaches high school here in Beni Mellal. Saturday, we toured Casablanca, and visited the King Hassan II mosque in Casablanca. It is one of the largest mosques in the world, and it is one of the few that allow non-Muslims to visit in the sanctuary.
Today, Sunday, we took the 3 hour drive to Beni Mellal, and toured the city here. We visited parks and the soule, which is a tradional market. We also met Ms. Massaq's family, which is her husband, who is a local political leader, her 17 year old daughter, who is preparing to take her exams to enter college here, and her 10 year old son, who loves soccer and is taking tennis lessons.


On Monday, Ms. Skarsten and I will meet Ms. Massaq's class for the first time. They are high school students who are learning English as their foreign language. What questions do you have for them? What would you like to learn about growing up in Morocco? Please post with your first name, last initial, and class period, and I will ask your questions to the students here -- then I will post the responses in the blog.

See you soon on my next blog post from Morocco

Tomorrow, Ms. Skarsten and I will be meeting with the