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

Different Perspectives on Slavery

Slavery was a complicted issue for Americans in the 18th and 19th centuries. Some people saw it as a absolute evil, others as a positive good. Some saw it as an economic nessessity, and others saw slavery as holding the nation back economically. People's views on African-Americans ranged from racism to colonization to advocating full equality. Today, you will get a chance to read some of those opinions, and share your reactions. You will need to click on the link to see the readings:

1. In reading 1, what did Thomas Jefferson mean when he said, "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just"?

2. In readings 2 and 3, the authors have two very different views of slavery. How did Solomon Northrup view slavery in reading 2? How did Sir Charles Lyell view slavery in reading 3? Who do you think had the more realistic view of slavery? Why?

3. In reading 4, George Fitzhugh gives his view that slavery was actually good for the slaves. What are two reasons he gives for feeling that way? Do you agree or disagree? Why?

How democratic was Andrew Jackson?

Andrew Jackson was one of the most controversial people in the history of the United States. He was the hero of the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812, a slaveowner, an orphan who went from very poor beginnings to gain great wealth, a supporter of Indian Removal and expanding the vote to many more average Americans. He was twice elected President of the United States, and many historians say that he strengthened the office of the Presidency.

But how democratic was he? Was he more of an autocrat or democrat? Should we celebrate him, or be embarrassed by him?

Who really invented the cotton gin?

Almost every history book says that Eli Whitney "invented" the cotton gin. But should he really get credit for that important invention?

Your assignment is to summarize the Whitney's claim in a well written paragraph, as well as the three other claims from the Smithsonian lesson. Then explain who has the best claim to be the "real" inventor, and explain your reasons.