The Sheikh and Me

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

(NOTE DEAR READER, THIS ENTRY AND THE FOLLOWING TWO WERE ALL POSTED TODAY.)

On the first day of the TAMAM conference, a young man from Dubai handed me three books from his mentor and friend—an elderly Sheikh, a holy man, of renown, now living in a tent and shepherding his goats in the desert.  He asked that I read the books and tell him what I thought of them the next day. The Sheikh wanted my opinion.

On the next day—having been up late the night before—I had not done my homework.  The young man talked with me and said the Sheikh had called and asked for my report.

Now duty-bound, that night I read as much as I could of the books, noting several positive responses. The Sheikh is truly an accomplished scholar and entrepreneur—well educated and the founder of two women’s universities and a number of businesses.  The books were well and respectfully written. When he refers to a person, he uses “he/she.” One book concerned the Ten Commandments and his premise that we are all Moslems, although some of Christians and Jews have not yet “returned” to the fold; another spoke of the stages of a man’s life and a type of memoir; and the third discussed the first stage of life.  At dinner on the last evening I shared my positive reactions, then began to tell him what I didn’t agree with. He stopped me. The Sheikh told him that if there were anything I disagreed with, he would want to talk with me personally.  He asked that Dr. Monera, the assistant director of the Arab Thought Foundation, make the arrangements.

This morning, Monera called to say that the Sheikh had called her at home and that she was to hear my disagreements and relay them to him.  So I talked some of them through with her and she called him back.

Later in the day, I met the young man in the lobby of our hotel and he had talked with the Sheikh once more after he had heard my criticisms.  Through an interpreter, the young man extended the Sheikh’s invitation for my husband and I to visit him in Dubai.

Why me? she asks. Linda

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TAMAM continues…

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

We found it intriguing that the challenges and concerns voiced by the attendees at the excellent TAMAM conference were not unlike those heard in many other places around the world. Among those issues were:

• How do we motivate people who don’t want to change?

• In a country where power in distributed among a few, how do we create equitable relationships in school communities and teams and between coaches and those coached?

• How do we keep from deferring excessively to those in authority?

• Many women now in the profession went into teaching when they had few choices. Now things have changed (even in Saudi) and women can choose among many professions.  Many women who were forced into teaching see it as a job, a burden, not a profession—how do we awaken them?

• How do we change a culture in which the principal is supposed to know everything?

• How do we develop new relationships with the ministries and directories so that they will support rather than contradict our initiatives? (note the discussion in the last post).

• Can everyone lead? And, if so, what does that mean for us?

For you educators out there…sound familiar?

One of the many lengthy conversations I had with a woman was about these very issues—particularly how we can change cultures in order to cause people to accept and initiate change.  She related what she tells her daughter about empowerment. Her eyes were warm and smiling as we spoke; that is all I could see of her face as it was buried within her full burka.

Linda

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The TAMAM Conference in Beirut

Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

“Our teachers are working on our capacities to make of us

thinking human beings.”

-A Third Grade girl in a school video, at an all girl’s school,

Saudi Arabia

From Morocco to Oman and 10 countries in between, the word is school-based reform.  This widely acclaimed conference drew educators from throughout the Middle East and North Africa.  Most remarkably, the interim Minister of Education from Libya, a professor from Benghazi who is very knowledgeable in teaching and learning and is determined to reopen Libya’s schools as soon as possible (they’ve been closed during the unrest).

Sponsored by the Arab Thought Foundation, the American University of Beirut and the TAMAM (in Arabic:  al-tatweer al-mustanid ila al-madrasa)project, the program included school and country presentations. TAMAM is committed to a new paradigm in the Arab world: developing a theory for long-term educational change grounded in school practices while building capacity for improvement.  The major approach is inquiry or action research (bottom up change with top down support) focused on building communities of practice, professional development that changes habits of mind, transformation of school culture and working with university teams.  I was honored to give the keynote address on leadership capacity, debrief two World Cafes, and teach a workshop on team coaching.

TAMAM captured the imagination of the participants who are using many of the key ideas already.  I was most intrigued by Egypt’s report of its new approach to school-based reform with school improvement plans and local boards (“so that our policies won’t change every time we have a change of ministers”).  They were the first to admit that these good intentions have yet to reveal good results.

The last discussion question was particularly thoughtful: How can the schools, universities, and ministries go forward together into the future. The groups almost unanimously called for co-equal, mutual partnerships.

“Reform,” our friend Ambassador Hassouna told us before we came, “is the word used everywhere.”

More on TAMAM in the next post, Linda

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Amazing Lebanon

Friday, May 27th, 2011

Yesterday, Morgan and I had the privilege of enjoying the hospitality of the talented staff of the Arab Thought Foundation situated in downtown Beirut–surely one of the most beautiful cities in the world.  We were finalizing the plans for the TAMAM conference that will begin tomorrow at American University of Beirut.  Twelve countries will be involved in three days of sharing their work in school-based reform.  One of the most heartwarming stories so far–and testimony to the importance attributed to this event–is that the new Libyan Minister of Education and two other colleagues will be coming–by land!  In the next few days, I’ll be reporting on the events and ideas behind the conference.

Today, we visited just a small part of the wonders of Lebanon, a long and geographically diverse country much like California in its elongated shape. First we went to the Jeita Grotto northeast of Beirut. It really is two grottos (or caves/caverns). The upper grotto is vast and dramatic: “rich limestone deposits and an infinite variety of crystals reminiscent of wild petrified orchids, giant mushrooms and elaborate chandeliers.”  Yet there is more: a lower grotto with a deep blue river maze that can be traveled by boat.  This Grotto is a nominee for one of the wonders of the world; vote for its inclusion on line at www.jeitagrotto.com.

From the Grotto, we went to Byblos, the site of the longest occupied city in the world (circa 6500 years BC). Fortunately, we were with a knowledgeable archeologist who had spent time excavating at the site. He reviewed the complex history beginning with the Canaanites, the results of the excavations, and the mythological stories that emerged from this stone city.  One of our favorites: The Egyptian goddess, Isis, discovered the remains of Osiris near the well in Byblos and returned to Egypt with the resurrected Osiris along with cedar oil used in embalming to ensure the resurrected life of the dead.

Next:  the TAMAM conference

Linda and Morgan

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May 27 in Tahrir Square

Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

A large demonstration is planned for this coming Friday in Tahrir Square.  Driven by impatience, those who are unhappy with progress will gather along with those who are adamant that the Mubaraks do not get off without a trial.  The army has warned against this demonstration–primarily against “foreign agitators” (US and Israelis)–but are unclear about consequences.

As we leave Cairo, we are again aware of the press of people, smog, and conflicting demands and are not sure that we understand the revolution, although we do realize that media portrayals of its struggles and causes are far from the truth. Misinformation, rumors, paranoia, and assumptions swim among the people who want unity and change.  Whatever the long-term resolution may turn out to be, our many well informed advisers seem to be pretty confident that the country will make significant progress and is moving in the right direction.  Religious conflict and fundamental are less than described. And we can confirm that the Cairo we experienced was peaceful and relatively calm.

We are back in Beirut now, having walked the city today.  Downtown Beirut is like Paris, parts of Rome, Reggio Emilia, Ferrara, Italy.  Elegant historic buildings dotted with Rodeo Drive-like shops.  Orderly traffic.  A pearl of the east. The waterfront has been extensively rebuilt into grand hotels and shops.  By the time we leave on June 1, we hope to understand why such a modern city does not have a government in session.  Today is a holiday–the celebration of the anniversary of the Hezbollah-Israeli war of 2006.  No issue is more dominant anywhere than Israel and on the surface, things are not going well.

As we enter the weekend, our focus will be on Middle East education and the school-based reform initiatives to be shared by 12 countries attending the conference.

Linda and Morgan

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Arab Spring in Cairo continues

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011

We have talked with Muslims and Christians, observed, participated in two marches, and read the newspapers. Yet we offer a major caveat: we are only here for a week and most of our friends are middle class Egyptians. Here are a few of the things that we are learning so far:

• Top candidates for the presidency are El Baradei, Nobel Prize winner and former head of the UN Atomic Energy Commission, and Amr Moussa, former Arab League director.  Both have baggage; both have advantages. For El Baradei, he has lived primarily outside of Egypt and is not thought to understand the Cairo “street,” and the administration had a year to attempt to discredit him.  In his favor is his stature and the notion that he took on Mubarak long before the revolution.  Youth feel that Amr Moussa is part of the old regime, too cautious and conservative for the new Egypt. On the other hand, older people feel that he is an honorable man who could usher this country through a transition to democracy.  A liberal member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Abu El Fotouh, has indicated an interest in running. Younger people would prefer more of a fresh approach, including a leadership council that would include some of the younger revolutionaries; youth are divided between Amr Moussa and El Baradei at the moment, but that could change.  The presidential election is set for November and the parliamentary one is in September.

• Economy is a major problem.  Tourism has dramatically declined, investors are wary, value of Egyptian pound has dropped, unemployment is very high (as has been done for many years, many people are hired at very low salaries for a job that could be done by one person). What is often not understood is that there are substantial subsidies here that make life possible: gasoline (selling for approx. 46 cents a gallon), sugar, medicines, health care, etc.  The people are very collaborative and help each other.  A major question is: will military relinquish their hold on large parts of the economy (owning and regulating businesses)? There are mixed opinions here, including “we must have a strong military to protect us against Israel.”

• On the formation of political parties…any party that is to be certified must agree that a Coptic Christian or a woman can be president.  Many of the most prominent revolutionaries here are women, yet we would be surprised if women played a large role in the transition government (although those involved are highly influential).

• Religious conflict is of concern, but not as much as we imagined.  After discussing this issue with many Muslim and seven Coptic Christian friends, it is noted that this conflict has not shown up in Tahrir Square except for a demonstration for unity.  The issue that ignited the burning of two churches began with a woman—then two women—who wanted to leave their Christian husbands, fell in love with a Muslim man—then tried to convert to Islam. The triggers seem to be personal, although in poor areas like Bulaq and Shoubra, prejudice is more pronounced. The more conservative and radical Salafists (the most fundamentalist of Muslims) are a very small group; the Muslim Brotherhood, the more influential group are still thought to be no more than 20% of the electorate.

• What does the future hold? Few will venture a prediction, although many say: “Egypt will be all right.”  More tomorrow about Friday.

Linda and Morgan

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