Bridging gaps with teachers from overseas

After a month in America, Iman Ibrahim has started to get used to the cold, unpredictable weather. She's warming to American food. She's adjusted to living in a dorm with a roommate half her age.

Now the teacher from Alexandria, Egypt, is meeting her next challenge: winning over classes of eighth-graders from Jackson Junior High School. As part of the International Leadership in Education Program, Ibrahim knows she will learn as much as she will teach.

Over the next four months, Ibrahim will observe or help Leanne Thele teach earth science. In the afternoons, she will take courses at Southeast Missouri State University, the host of 16 international teachers from Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

The teachers were recruited by U.S. Embassies and Fulbright Commissions in an effort to create a flow of ideas and improve the quality of education in participating schools. The U.S. Department of State sponsors the program, granting Southeast $150,000 this year.

"Everywhere in the world there is stereotyping due to ignorance. This helps bridge those gaps," said Dr. Jean Benton, who is directing the project for Southeast.

Seven fellows will complete an internship in Jackson, five in Cape Girardeau, and four in Sikeston. A majority of the fellows teach science. They all speak fluent English.

"I did this last year, and it was my first real experience with having any international people in this area," Thele said.

Tuesday was Ibrahim's first day in the classroom, something she had been looking forward to since she arrived in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 8 for an orientation.

After a tour of the building, Ibrahim slipped into Thele's room, where students were graphing air pressure at different altitudes.

She smiled after seeing a bulletin board made in her honor, with a red background, a yellow border, and pictures of her at her home school.

Students glanced at their visitor, then continued to work. Most were unaware Ibrahim would be coming Tuesday. Thele had prepared her earlier classes, but wasn't expecting Ibrahim in the middle of third period.

As Ibrahim settled into a chair in the front of the room, students Kelsey McDowell and Chris Sell wondered if Ibrahim spoke English, and if she would lead lessons. Sell considered how he had never seen an Egyptian before, except in movies.

Wearing tweed pants, a burnt orange sweater and jacket and a scarf over her head, Ibrahim didn't dress that differently from American teachers, they thought.

In Egypt, many schools require students to wear uniforms. Ibrahim's home school, Elnaggar Experimental Language Secondary School, is a public girls' school that serves about 275 students in grades 11 and 12. An experimental school, she explains, is similar to a U.S. charter school and is built by businessmen.

While Egypt is still developing, her school has Internet access and limited elective courses. Class sizes are about the same, but that isn't the case for all of Egypt, where some classrooms exceed 60 students.

Tuesday was mostly a day for observation, but Thele already has Ibrahim's first lesson planned down the road: introducing herself, Egypt and her culture.

As the bell rang and students flooded the halls, Ibrahim considered what she would share with students.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123