Brilliant Teaching

As part of our preparation for this teacher travel fellowship, we had been briefed on what to expect in Moroccan schools. The dominant narrative was of a rigid system set up for test preparation with teacher-centered instruction. We were also told of large class sizes and a huge inequality gap between rural and urban schools.  The classrooms that I observed did not fit this narrative. Instruction was varied, cooperative learning was employed, and students spoke often.

One school stood out from the rest, and it was in the least likely place possible: the tiny village of Fask. Look it up on Google Earth. There I found an English teacher who I admire greatly, Abdelmalik.  He chose to teach in the rural area. He is Amazigh, and he has a calling to lift up his community. He feels at home in Fask. The teacher used time effectively and conducted class with a calm demeanor. I could tell that the students loved him. He did a warm up activity and built each part of the lesson to both reinforce basic language instruction and challenge them with rigorous practice.  Abdelmalk has only one full year of experience teaching. The children of Fask Village are lucky indeed.