"What we learn with pleasure we never forget." - Alfred Mercier

Everyone knows that as a teacher, it is your job to help others learn. When you walk into a classroom, you expect to be implementing lesson plans, assigning homework, and playing review games. You expect to struggle with your students as they push themselves to learn new things and be there to cheer for them when they succeed. What you don’t necessarily count on is them teaching you a few things, too.

From day one, I learned about the strength required to create opportunities for yourself. Our home visits were proof of how much courage it takes to immerse yourself in learning a new language from a teacher who only speaks English, all the while not knowing where your next meal is coming from or if your family will be able to make rent this month. It would be easy to get distracted by stress, but our kids brought their A-game every single day. Eager to learn, they literally jumped out of their seats whenever they had the opportunity to answer a question. There is something about watching someone throw themselves into their education that teaches you how valuable learning is. While kids in the United States count the minutes until school is over, these kids are laughing, clapping, and cheering even after the bell rings. Despite the adversity they face, education means the world to them.

From our home visits, I learned about how powerful family can be. The strongest students I have worked with are strong because of the support they have at home. Every family we visited beamed with pride when we talked about their child’s accomplishments, but I keep thinking back to our visit with Fatimazahra’s family. As Fatimazahra makes her way into the world, her family will always be supporting her, pushing her. That is something about Moroccan culture that I will never forget. The families here are tied together like knots, and they love each other so deeply. In a few months, my life is going to change completely. I will be learning to live on my own and getting ready to begin my life as an adult. If there is anything that Fatimazahra’s family has taught me, it’s that through all of this, I will need to remain close to my family, because they are the ones who will give me strength. They are the ones who will push me to be my best. They are the ones who will help me transform into the person I want to be.

From the people, I learned about believing in something greater than yourself. The love the Moroccan people have for each other translates into the culture, especially the religious aspect. Never in my life have I been in a place where everyone is so unified by a belief system – whether it means going to pray 5 times a day or fasting during Ramadan together. When I stepped off the plane and onto Moroccan soil, I had no idea what to expect from the people here. The image of Muslims that I have seen in American media was so much different than the Muslim culture I experienced here in Morocco. While all I heard in America was that Islam is founded on hatred and violence, all I have seen here is peace and love. Over and over, I heard the phrase “Islam is peace,” and these words rang true every day here. Not only do these people believe in peace and God, but they carry their religion into every aspect of their life. Islam teaches them respect, love, and kindness. Even when every day is a struggle, their faith in God gives them the strength to carry on. Sometimes, I have found, the hardest thing to do is to have faith when you are struggling. However, this faith gives you the strength to persevere.

The memories I have and the lessons I learned during my time here will be with me forever. My heart is full with love from my kids, love from their families, and love from the people of Morocco. Though it’s hard to think that I will never see those students again, I know that our group worked tirelessly every day give them the tools they need to succeed, and I can’t wait to see what they become.

Love and Family

After five trips with CGA, I have learned to appreciate the little things – a roof over my head, something to eat, friends who love me, and most importantly, a family and an education. However, it’s easy to get distracted when I come home. All of us have responsibilities and busy lives, and sometimes we take the love that we get from our families for granted. That’s why home visits like yesterdays are so powerful.

There is a girl in my class named Fatimazahra. She is very quiet and sits in the back, but she is always smiling and full of light. Shyly, she guided us to her home after school. We walked up a steep, narrow set of stairs and entered an eight foot by eight foot room with two skinny beds and a refrigerator. This room, which was the size of my bathroom, was her entire house. Fatimazahra, Rabiee (her mother), and her grandmother squeezed onto one of the tiny beds, eagerly inviting us to squeeze in with them. Rabiee presented us with food (which she most likely did not have the money for) and vigorously encouraged us to eat, wanting to make us feel as welcome as possible in her home. Immediately, I felt amazed by Fatimazahra. She comes to school every day ready to learn, and is one of the hardest workers in our class. She wants to attend college and become an astronaut, and I am looking forward to turning on the TV and seeing her fly away to Mars. I love that she is able to dream big, despite the fact that her mother and her grandmother both did not go to school and her family struggles to get by every single day. Though neither of them was educated, both are beyond supportive of Fatimazahra going to school. Over and over, they thanked us for teaching her English, saying that they regret not having gone to school every day. In these moments, as Rabiee was telling us about how she makes only $15 a month (rent alone is $30) and how grateful she is that Fatimazahra is going to school, I felt emotions that were indescribable. The most amazing part of Morocco has been the people, and Fatimazahra’s family proved that. To see three generations of women who work so diligently every day to make the best of everything they have is the definition of inspiring, and it reminds me to value education in my own life.

Our visit reminded me about how powerful love is. No matter the situation, these three ladies are always there for each other. Fatimazahra’s mother or grandmother is always waiting for her when she comes home from school, and both younger women are there to take care of the oldest. Everything that they do for each other comes from a place of love and compassion. In the words of Fatimazahra’s grandmother: “you would have to kill me before I left my daughter and granddaughter.” This kind of love reminds you of what is really important – you can be struggling to make end’s meet and wondering where your next meal will come from, but the love you feel for those who are close to you will always be strong. It is important to focus on that, especially when things get tough. It’s always difficult to deal with stress about money, school, and work, but when you love someone, you have to lift each other up as you face these adversities together.

Fatimazahra’s family spoke endlessly about how proud they are of her for going to school and being so driven to learn English. They are a little hesitant about sending her off to explore space just yet, but they are willing to support her in whatever it takes to achieve her dream. With all the love that she has at home to guide her along the way, I believe she will be a great astronaut.

The End Goal

The first thing I noticed when we arrived in Morocco was the color. The streets are decorated with every color you could imagine – from the radiant kaftans that the women wear to the bright clothes and trinkets that catch our eyes in the market. The inside of our house, like many others, is lined with carefully painted tiles that reflect all the colors of the rainbow. Even the sea of white buildings visible from the beach has its own color, contrasting so sharply from the bright blue sky that they pop in front of your eyes. The most beautiful parts of Morocco, however, are the kids we get to see every day at school. There are eight kids in the class that Katie and I teach together. They are all bright and full of joy, but each of them has their own unique personality. Ibtissam is the class clown, but she is curious and full of questions, and she brightens our day when she asks them. Mohamed is quiet, shy and is afraid to share his voice, but when we encourage him to participate he always knows the answer. Youssra is also quiet, but she loves to paint, and she dreams of being a doctor. Already, it has been a pleasure to get to know them. They are the most eager learners I have ever worked with. They are always asking questions and excitedly jump in to every game we play. Working with kids like these reminds me how much different students are in the US. At home, I have seen students use their phones as a distraction, wander the hallways so they don’t have to be in class, and pack their bags minutes before the bell rings. I’m guilty of a lot of these things. Here, however, the students stay after class to finish their assignments and ask questions. They bring English games from home to play in class. They know how important it is to learn this language, and they don’t waste a minute of their time with us. It’s a valuable lesson for those of us who take our education for granted. We are so lucky to have been born into an English-speaking country, and to have as many opportunities as we do.

Teaching, as always, has been a challenge, with unforeseen barriers. The kids knew much more English than we anticipated, which was a welcome surprise, but it means that we have to find better ways to challenge them and get them to think critically. Despite being at a level that was higher than expected, the kids have been making noticeable improvements in their grammar and comprehension skills since we have gotten here. As a teacher, when you put in the hours of work at home and hours of trial and error in the classroom, to see student’s ability shift even slightly because of what you are teaching is a breath of fresh air. It is easy to lose confidence when you are teaching. One confused look from a child, and you may think you are failing them. In fact, teaching is allowing yourself and your student to make mistakes over and over again until something clicks between the two of you. And when they finally understand, it reminds you that you can make a difference.

So far, we have built a strong foundation in the classroom. However, teaching nouns and verbs is not enough. Our goal is to leave these kids with not only a better understanding of English, but the ability to use the English that they know to make themselves more successful. We don’t expect to be able to teach them an entire language in the two weeks that we are here, but we hope that we are able to inspire them to continue down that path. When they finally learn, we hope that our students will have the confidence and ability to become anything that they want to be. There will be barriers holding them back, but learning English will no longer be one of them, and they will have proved to themselves that they can break through those barriers. It has been such an honor to teach them thus far, and I am so excited to see them grow both as people and students in the rest of the time I am here.