PHS to offer Arabic course

PLYMOUTH – School district officials and staff members have proof of the adage, “The best things in life are free.”

A teacher from Cairo, Egypt will be on staff at Plymouth High School next year to offer a course in Arabic 1 and Egyptian Culture. His services will be free of charge.

The Plymouth School District is one of only 10 school districts nationwide to be selected for this award opportunity, through the Teachers of Critical Languages Program [TCLP].

Laura Koebel, a PHS Spanish teacher, noted that more than 75 students at the school are interested in enrolling in the course.

The Arabic teacher for the Plymouth School District will be selected soon. He is affiliated with TCLP, a multi-layered, cross-cultural program, funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State. The program is administered by the American Councils for International Education.

TCLP is designed to increase the number of Americans teaching and studying Arabic and Chinese – both considered critical-need languages.

The TCLP Web site points out that according to a government-financed survey, thousands of public schools stopped teaching foreign languages in the past decade. This is dismal news for a nation that needs more linguists to conduct its global business and diplomacy.

Thus, the State Department is funding the Teachers of Critical Languages Program – to bring Arabic and Chinese teachers to the United States.”

“This teacher will be with us for one year, and then we can re-apply for a second year. Two years is the maximum for this award, but the second year is not guaranteed.”

Superintendent Clark Reinke noted that prior to the teachers of Arabic and Chinese arriving at their specific school districts, they will undergo a three-week, intensive orientation to the U.S. culture and education system, in Washington, D.C. The orientation is funded by the State Department.

In addition, Koebel and PHS Principal Dan Mella will attend a three-day orientation in Washington, D.C., also funded by the State Department, this summer. At that time, they will meet the teacher assigned to the Plymouth School District.

He will then accompany them back to Plymouth. Meanwhile, Koebel is attempting to find a host family for him.

Reinke is grateful that the district was selected to participate in the TCLP. “Having a teacher from Egypt will enhance our world languages opportunities,” he said.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for the community as well. One of our goals is to involve the teacher with the community in as many ways as possible. He will speak to service clubs and church groups, etc.

“One of the major 21st century skills is being able to work and interact with people of other cultures,” he added. “This award from the State Department will bridge some of the barriers between the Chinese and Arabic cultures and the U.S. culture.”

Through the Teachers of Critical Languages Program, each party involved is positively impacted. American students develop an appreciation for and fluency with the critical languages of Chinese and Arabic.

Exchange teachers improve their English, which intensifies the depth of their home schools’ English as a Foreign Language curriculum. The American and exchange teachers develop partnerships and share both resources and teaching methods, and all students and teachers form deeper understanding of the one another’s cultures.

It is Koebel who deserves the credit for informing the school district about the TCLP opportunity. Last November, she attended a cultural conference in Madison. At the conference, she met Khaled Kenawy, an Arabic teacher from Egypt, who is affiliated with the TCLP. He is currently teaching Arabic at Madison East High School.

While speaking about TCLP, Kenawy informed attendees that any school district would be eligible to apply for the program and that the program would be free-of-charge to the districts selected.

“I was so excited at the opportunity to apply for this award,” Koebel said.

Thus, she spoke with Plymouth School District officials about Kenawy’s presentation. They suggested he visit the school district, so Koebel extended an invitation. Kenawy paid a visit to PHS in February.

“He spoke in my classes and in the ancient world history class, which was actually studying Egypt at the time,” she said. “He taught the students some Egyptian culture and a little Arabic, because part of the program is to share cultures.

“The students were so excited and interested,” Koebel added. She then asked the students if they would be interested in taking the Arabic course and was impressed with the positive response.

“Students can take the course for one semester to earn a half credit or for the year for a full credit,” she said. Koebel is the adviser for the PHS World Languages Club and had previously become aware of the club members’ interest in the Arabic language.

“There is an Egyptian family living in Plymouth. I have had Reham Mohamed, one of their girls, come in to teach Arabic to the World Language Club members, and they really enjoyed this,” she said. “Reham demonstrated how the Arabic language is written from right to left, and informed them there are 28 letters in the Arabic alphabet.”

Since many students had a desire to learn Arabic, Koebel applied for the Plymouth School District to be selected for the TCLP.

“In March, I learned that the Plymouth School District was chosen as a semi-finalist,” she said.

The next step in the process involved officials of the Teachers of Critical Languages Program conducting extensive phone interviews with Koebel and Mella.

“In April, we received word that we were one of the 10 schools to receive the award,” Koebel recalled.

Koebel will be the mentor for the Arabic instructor. “I will be in charge of helping him with his classes,” she said. “I will also do the community outreach, such as having the teacher facilitate seminars for adult learners in Plymouth and the surrounding communities.

“I’m passionate about languages,” she affirmed. “An important part of this award is to engage members of the community.”

Koebel has another reason for her abundant enthusiasm. “I grew up in Plymouth and graduated from Plymouth High School in 1992,” she said. “I am excited to show this Arabic teacher what a welcoming community Plymouth is,” she said.

“I am so proud to work here,” Koebel added. “We truly have a great staff, so I am proud to bring this teacher here to show him the cool things we are doing, like opening the engineering wing in the high school next fall for both our students and adult students from Lakeshore Technical College.”

Mella said school district officials and staff are excited and honored that the school district was selected by the State Department to be part of the Teachers of Critical Languages Program.

“This will be a valuable learning and growth experience for the kids and the community,” he said. “This is an opportunity to have a teacher here representing a different culture and for us to share our culture with him.”