Nothing that anyone told me really prepared me for my second day of class.
Why do I say "second day" of class?
Because the first day of class was pretty much a normal day. On the first day of class, as I mention in Nile Union Academy: A Memoir was the day where the students size up the teachers, to see what they will be able to get away with in class. On day two, the students begin to test the teachers, and by the end of the first week, you are chewed up and swallowed like a piece of raw meat in the stomach of a baby shark.
You have to be firm from day one.
In my book, Mrs. Selma told me to be firm, but I did not listen. I wish I did, because it took me a long time to figure out just how firm I needed to be, and by that point, the students had gotten pretty comfortable in my classes.
Here are just a few things you will deal with if you teach high school students in Egypt.
1. LOTS of cheating.
In Egypt, cheating is kind of a sport, and many Egyptian youth have no problem cheating in front of you. At Nile Union Academy, we had a ZERO cheating policy, but that did not matter to many students. Many students wanted to get high honors or at least pass the classes, and to do so, some resorted to cheating rather than studying. I wondered at times, "do Egyptian students understand study skills?"
There are many ways in which my students liked to cheat. Some ways included having another paper under their test with the answers on it, copying off other students, walking around the room during the test and talking to other students/looking at their papers, or even going to the restroom. Some students would write the answers on their skin. Pretty much anything that they could get away with was fair game. You have to be prepared for cheating and ready to call the students out on it. It's uncomfortable for the teacher, as the students often would deny they cheated and the other students would vouch for them.
There are many ways in which my students liked to cheat. Some ways included having another paper under their test with the answers on it, copying off other students, walking around the room during the test and talking to other students/looking at their papers, or even going to the restroom. Some students would write the answers on their skin. Pretty much anything that they could get away with was fair game. You have to be prepared for cheating and ready to call the students out on it. It's uncomfortable for the teacher, as the students often would deny they cheated and the other students would vouch for them.
2. Talking when you talk.
If you expect the students to listen to you while you lecture, forget it. It won't happen. I got to the point where I didn't lecture. There was pretty much nothing that I could do to get the students to stop speaking (at least at first). You have to be willing to be tough - give out tardies or absences, or even send the students out of the class. It seems rough, but it will show the students you mean business, and make the class more enjoyable for those who really do want to learn. I think all the students do want to learn, but they don't realize it yet. Give them the chance to enjoy the class by taking control of the classroom.
3. Using any excuse to leave the classroom.
I had one student who had to pee every day in every class I taught him. He was not the only one who tried to get out of going to class. Many students had this burning desire to walk the halls and hang out with their friends in the bathroom. But, it doesn't do them any favors to allow them to go and do these things. You have to keep them in the classroom at all costs.
4. Physical fighting during class.
Egypt is a very hands-on society and physical fighting is very common. If you allow it to happen, there will be fights every day. You have to end it before it starts. Seating charts don't always work. I had students run across the room to punch each other just because one gave another a bad look. It's like a prison, sometimes!
5. Arguing with the teacher about classwork.
Do not make your class a democracy, or the students will start to argue about everything. Assert dominance. You are the leader. The students must follow your lead and do what you assign them. Do not back down. Once you do, everything will be an argument. Egyptians are experts at arguing and haggling and will make a big show out of the smallest thing. Some will even feign sick or state that they can' write because they scratched their arm.
In conclusion, Egyptian students need firm boundaries, and a teacher who is willing to be a leader. I didn't realize this right away and it caused many problems (of which I wrote about in Nile Union Academy: A Memoir). Egyptian students will come to love their teachers, even if you are strict in the classroom. You can be strict and love your students. It's about finding a balance.
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