I have waited to write about my experiences teaching in Jordan until I completed my first semester so I could give it a more complete evaluation. Teaching English was the aspect of my job as a Peace Corps volunteer that I thought would be the easiest and come the most naturally—I have experience teaching middle schoolers, English is my native language, and I was looking forward to the structure that working in a school would provide. However, as it turns out, my role as a teacher has been one of the most challenging parts of my service here in Jordan, probably because I came in with expectations of what it would be like and what I would be able to accomplish.
Compared to other Middle Eastern countries, Jordanians have a high rate of literacy and schools are well established. Because of the lack of natural resources which neighboring countries have in abundance, Jordanians know that a strong emphasis must be put on education for developing human resources. With half of the country’s population under age 18, secondary schools, like the one I work in play an important role. This was very encouraging to hear upon being assigned to my village community as an English teacher, but I still found many barriers to my goals in the structure of the education system, the attitudes of the teachers, families and students, and the culture of the community.
Jordanian public schools are tightly controlled by the Ministry of Education. Every student in every public school in the country uses the same text books and supervisors come to check that every lesson and activity is being covered according to the teachers’ guide. The Ministry dictates how many tests will be given as well as what will be covered and their point value. There is little room for teachers to use their creativity in lesson planning and little freedom or time to add to the curriculum. Coming from a private school in the United States that emphasized teacher autonomy and continually updating the curriculum, this shift was quite an adjustment for me to make. Yet, most Jordanian teachers have always taught in this system and never been encouraged to teach outside of the teachers’ guide so while I get very frustrated with this structure, they see it as a given and even something that makes the job more appealing.
One challenge that I did anticipate is the communication barrier that my weak Arabic subjects me to. It is hard to understand the workings of a foreign school system when you struggle to understand the morning announcements, the gossip in the teachers’ room, the reprimands of the principal, or read the daily schedule. There have been times when I would go to class and find that my students had all gone home, or that the school day had been shortened or canceled, but even if I got an explanation, I usually could not understand it.
But some other frustrations were due more to differences in culture rather than language barriers—some I will probably never learn to accept, even if they are adequately explained to me. I learned about the use of physical punishment the hard way when I ask the principal to come reprimand my class and she brought her stick with her. Classroom management can be a challenge to any teacher and because I was the new foreigner who spoke very little Arabic, my students tried to get away with anything and for the most part did. After a week of only half the class making any attempt at doing their homework, I told the principal and she said she would come speak to them. I was relieved that maybe her lecture would have an effect and give me some credibility but horrified that instead of a lecture, she whipped the hands of the girls who had not done any homework. I was almost sick to my stomach as I watched and listed to the girls scream in pain. I felt awful for having called in the principal, but soon realized this is the type of punishment the students have been conditioned to respond to and other methods I had had success with in the United States (docking points, calling parents, extra homework) would never work. Though I refuse to hit any student or call in the principal again to do so, I have made some progress by establishing a “controlled chaos” through using a seating chart, progress chart, rewards for good behavior and making an effort to get to know each student individually.
But despite the daily frustrations, I have found encouragement in the little bits of success I have had. The area where my teaching has had the most effect is in the remedial classes I teach. I talked the principal into allowing me to pull the weaker students out of art or PE (which meet once a week) and work with them in the library. Teachers are not allowed to fail any student, so many weak ones have been pushed through even though they are well below the level of the rest of the class. These students also tend to have more behavior problems but have responded well to the individual attention. When I get a chance to work with them at whatever level they may be at (even going back to ABC’s with 8th graders) they really seemed excited to be in school and take pride in getting to skip out of other classes for extra-help in English. For me this has been the fun part of teaching because I have complete control over the curriculum, but most other teachers questioned why I would choose to spend more time in the classroom than required, especially with the weaker students.
While there is a sense of the value of an education in Jordan, much of how society works is based on wasta (connections), which often run secondary to qualifications. As a result there is an underlying attitude that you go to school to pass the test and have a diploma, and less emphasis on learning the material for the sake of qualifying you for your future job. This is reflected in the widespread cheating that exists in all of the schools and the lack of punishment for it. While proctoring exams, everyday I confiscated at least 3 cheat sheets, and the students did not part with them willingly. As I pried the little slips of paper from their hands, they begged me to let them use the sheets for just a few more minutes. I even watched a teacher read the answers to a few remaining students because she wanted to leave. Though cheating is technically not allowed, there is no punishment for being caught so students have little reason not to try, especially when so many of their classmates are doing it.
I soon learned to accept that thought my job in Jordan is an English teacher, my greatest effect as a Peace Corps volunteer would not be in improving my students’ English skills. The Peace Corps encouraged us to create English Clubs and start an English camp over the school break, but these can only be so effective when the principal won’t keep the school open after the last class period finishes and fathers demand that their daughters spend any free time at home. However, I feel my greatest effect has been from just being around. Teachers watch me make teaching aids in the teachers’ room during my free periods and students know that I strongly disapprove of cheating. My landlord’s family knows that I am comfortable sleeping in a house by myself and that even though I am 25 and not married, I am happy. The people in my village love to ask me what food is like in America and see pictures of my family. Those who have never seen a non-Arab or non-Muslim are fascinated by just staring at me on the bus. While it is certainly not easy being on display all of the time, I am glad to be exposing them to a bit of diversity and showing them that America is more than just our government’s foreign policy.
Return to the Journals main page.