In today’s politically charged environment, the name Saudi Arabia may evoke in some people feelings of hostility or aversion, while for others, a sense of mystery or adventure. For me, the opportunity to teach English in Riyadh signified the beginning of a new chapter in my life. And although I readily accepted the adventure of leaving behind my family and friends, nothing could have prepared me for the challenges I would face as a second language teacher in a country and a culture so vastly different from the one that I was familiar with in the United States. As I look back to eight years ago, I marvel at the way my husband and I eagerly embarked on a voyage to teach English halfway around the world. It has been an amazing journey — one that has been filled with incredibly unforgettable experiences, people and challenges.
Almost from the moment I disembarked from the airplane at Riyadh airport, I found that I was confronted with culture shock and the difficulties of trying to adapt to a new environment. What’s more, when I started my duties as an English teacher, I found I was also faced with work and educational challenges that, in many respects, were very new to me. One of the very first tests that I and many other English teachers encountered in the Kingdom was that although many students have fairly good speaking abilities, they are very deficient in other areas such as composition writing, for example. To remedy this situation in one of my classes, I decided to increase the composition assignments from one per month to four per month.
In the long run, I found that, as a result of the extra effort made, the students’ skills improved tremendously. And before I knew it, many of them were eagerly volunteering to do extra assignments.
Another challenge I faced was a problem that is encountered by teachers everywhere, no matter what the subject — that is, the issue of students not doing their homework properly or in a timely manner. Even though this is a universal dilemma, I have to admit that I found it a little surprising how Saudi students seemed more negligent in this regard than students I had encountered elsewhere.
At the beginning of the school year more than 50 percent of my students’ homework was either poorly done or was not done at all. Eventually, however, after imposing stiff penalties on offending students, homework troubles trickled to a halt.
As I look back over my teaching experiences here in Saudi Arabia, I have to admit that although it was one of the most challenging experiences I have encountered, it was also one of the most gratifying. In spite of the many difficulties I encountered in the classroom, it’s been my experience that Saudi students have a way of growing on you and touching something deep inside you. Perhaps it was the way that the students bonded with me or their eagerness to please me that in the end made this such an immensely fulfilling experience.
On the other hand, maybe it was the way they all showered me with their displays of affection through their letters and homemade cards. Or could it have been the students who never seemed to take their eyes off me and seemed to hang on my every word — admiration beaming from their faces?
Whatever the reasons, they made a deep and lasting impact on me, and I think I did the same for them. This, in spite of the fact that I was harder on them, and put tougher demands on them than probably many of their other teachers did. I think it’s called “tough love.”
However, they appreciated a teacher who cared enough to set high standards for them and only accepted their very best. I shall never forget the opportunity I had to teach those students. Indeed, they were some of the most wonderful, lovable and unforgettable students I’ve ever met.
Arab News Features 9 May 2003
