Saudi Students in the Us Education System Essay Example for Free

Saudi Students in the Us Education System Essay Western culture differs dramatically from Saudi Arabian culture, from religion, to education to music and food, even dress; they really are two different worlds. The challenges that a Saudi student might face here in the states are endless and adjusting takes time and a tremendous amount of effort. Let’s start by talking about education. In Saudi Arabia sexes are separated from day one. Males and females never attend school under the same roof, not even at university levels ( Flaits). For a Saudi student, here in the United States, this is a substantial change that has the potential to be, even traumatizing to students, especially to those students still in primary schools. Imagine with me for a moment that you are a thirteen year old Saudi Arabian girl. Your father has just gotten a job in the United States. Up till now you have spent your entire life in Saudi Arabia in a traditional home, going to a traditional all girl school. The only males you have ever spoken with are your close male relatives. Now, it is your first day to attend an American public school. You have a nice, dark complexion and wavy brown hair hidden away under your hijab. Never mind all the strange glances immediately thrown at you for your appearance the minute you step foot on the bus because of the way you are dressed, you expected as much. But you’re taken aback by the fact that well over half of these uncomfortable, judgmental glances are barreling down on you from the faces of boys. Your heart is beating hard and fast in your ears as you slide into the nearest vacant green leathery seat. You’re starting to feel your face grow warm and you just know you are seven shades of beat red. You concentrate on your breathing; you can feel every eye on the bus burning into you, you feel completely exposed. And just when you think that things couldn’t possibly get worse, a boy about two years older than you decides the empty seat next to you is as good as any to claim for his own. He gives you a warm smile, which you return with a blank stare. So he takes it upon himself to try and start a conversation. He is friendly enough, but you can’t concentrate on a single word coming out of his mouth. Not just because your English is below proficient, but because blood is pounding in your ears. What does this boy think he is doing? Your mind reels. The only thing you can think about is how angry your father would be if he saw this boy sitting next to you and you pray he never finds out. You have never spoken to a boy in your life, you wouldn’t know how to go about it, even if you wanted to, but your mouth doesn’t seem to be working now anyhow and all you want is for this boy to leave you alone before any tears manage to escape your eyes. You shut your eyes tight and count your breaths waaHid, ithnayn, talaata . . . You keep them closed for a long time and when you open them the boy has apparently gotten the point or been offended because he has changed seats. You feel only a slight twinge of guilt but a flood of relief. Finally the bus comes to a stop and everyone files off. Upon arriving to the school you find that the boys here are less friendly and somewhat frightening. Some whistle or stare, some wink, some make inappropriate gestures with their hands or mouths most of which you do not understand, some scoff and finally some ignore you completely which comes as a relief. The girls here don’t seem to be interested in any kind of interaction with you at all. Most avoid eye contact but some blatantly glare. Your head spins, all you want is a quiet, safe place to hide. So you retreat to the bathroom. Here you encounter a whole new set of awkward social problems, when a group of giggling girls, applying too much makeup, instantly become silent as you approach. You can feel the hostility as they take in your attire. Only one even attempts to smile at you. As if on cue, they all march out, fallowing a tall thin blond with a hot pink top, by the way the other girls dote, you can only assume she is their leader. You splash some cool water on your face, thankful for the silence and whisper a prayer to Allah, asking Him for the strength to just get through the day. The bell rings so you find your way to first period and take a seat nearest the door, most students have to walk past you, which isn’t ideal but you feel safer because you can bolt at any time if the need arises. The teacher inters the room and says good morning to the class. He looks across the room and his eyes come to rest on you, suddenly it is hard to breath you feel like you have been caught in some kind of sand storm that is suffocating only you, no one else in the room seems to feel ill at ease in the least. You have never had a male teacher before and it never crossed your mind that you ever would. This morning you prepared yourself the best you could with the idea of having to go to school with boys, you knew that you would stick out because of the clothing you wore and you knew it might be difficult communicating with the other children because your English is not that good, but it never occurred to you that you would have a male teacher! â€Å"good morning class, today we have a new student, miss Layla Almire,† never taking his eyes of you â€Å" would you mind standing and telling us a little about yourself ? † You slowly rise, â€Å"my name is Layla, I am thirteen, my family is from Saudi Arabia† you sit, unsure of what just happened. That girl standing, speaking, didn’t even sound like you. She sounded confident, not falling to pieces on the inside as you are doing now; your heart is beating so hard and your hands are trembling. â€Å"thank you miss Layla, we are glad to have you in class. Now take out your text books and turn to page eighty-three we left off talking about†¦Ã¢â‚¬  most of the day passes in a blur, you go from class, avoid eye contact or conversations with the children, eat lunch alone, some of your teachers are male, some are female, you act like you understand what the teachers say even though half the time you don’t. By the end of the day you are completely drained emotionally, mentally and physically and you are so relieved when it is finally over. But at home, you don’t want your parents to worry about you, especially your mother; the trip has been hard enough on her as it is. So you fake a smile and fight the urge to skip dinner and turn in early. After clearing the table you can fight it no longer, you tell your family that you have homework and retreat to your room. There you silently cry yourself to sleep hoping the morning does not come too quickly because you know what’s waiting for you when it does, your second day at an American public school. Saudi girls are painfully shy around men because their culture dictates that they have no interaction with men outside of close relatives. (Flaits) Coeducation can be difficult for male students as well because they are from a society where men are dominant, so being taught by women may be a very challenging thing to get used to (Flaits). To accommodate for these particular challenges, (first of all teaches need to be aware of the cultural differences), male teaches can help with these cultural challenges by not calling the female student out too much in class or talking to girls directly, by keeping a comfortable distance in a sense. And female teachers can try not to be too assertive, to avoid resentment from male students. Saudi’s in general, do not take criticism well, especially in public. It is viewed as an attack on their honor. It is for this reason that teachers need to be gentle when confronting a student about inappropriate behavior and never should this be done in front of the rest of the class. Saudi’s take it very personally if they are not trusted. This is a good reason not to accuse them unless you have strong evidence for your case. Trust and honor go hand in hand. I was not aware of this when I first began college and started hanging out with a group of internationals, I was not aware of many things. One night we were all at my friends and I was ready to go home but my friend was too tired to drive so his friend offered to give me a lift. I â€Å"politely† refused. Because I was raised never to get in a car with strangers, I thought this was common knowledge â€Å"don’t get into cars with people you don’t know†. This man took it very personally, he started to raise his voice, speaking in Arabic, and then left in a huff. I asked my friend what he said, it roughly translated to â€Å" fine if you don’t feel safe near me then I will just go† I felt slightly guilty but at the same time I thought it confirmed that this guy was a hot head that shouldn’t be trusted. Abdulah and I have laughed about our first meeting a lot since; he later became one of my best friends. This man wouldn’t hurt a fly, it’s just not in him, he is one of the kindest people I know. He has come to understand why I refused to get in the car that night and I, how disrespectful it was to refuse his help in front of all of our friends. Another challenge for Saudi students is the same for all immigrant students, language barriers. Students may need special accommodations to further acquire language skills. They may need additional time on assignments and additional clarification on direction for assignments. It is important for teachers to be patient with their students and not mistake the students lack of understanding for laziness. Some additional challenges, for teachers working with Saudi students, are keeping their attention, their interest. Saudis get bored very easily and quickly. Keeping their attention can prove to be quite difficult. Speaking with a fellow teacher I was given insight on how she kept her students engaged. She told me that Saudi students can be quite competitive so incorporating games with prizes or score boards is an effective and healthy way to inspire them to â€Å"stay on top of their game† she suggested things like writing on the black board, matching objects to words and spelling B’s where every point is tallied and any kind of learning game in general,to be effective methods. I have come up with a few of my own ideas to keep their interest and get them to study on their own as well. â€Å"THE LETTER GAME† have a bag full of random letters written on cards, at the beginning of class pull a set number of cards and place them in plain sight of the entire class, give the students a set amount of time to spell as many words as they can come up with from those cards, when the time is up tally the number of correct words the students got right, the one with the most words is awarded some kind of incentive. This accomplishes two things, challenges the student mentally and may lead to study outside of the class. Since the letters are completely random knowing their vocab will not be enough, because competition is such a part of their personality the intention is to get them to do independent studying, the more words they know, the better chance they have at winning the next go around. Racism is an infectious disease that plagues our public schools and even with all â€Å"bullies will not be tolerated† campaigns. Teachers need to keep a close eye out for students that might be being mistreated or harassed for the color of their skin, the god they believe in or the close they wear. In conclusion, there are many things that a teacher can and should do in order to make international students feel more at home in their class rooms. First and foremost, learn as much as you can about the students culture, this helps go a long way in helping the student. Secondly, when it comes to Saudi students, respect is key, don’t be too assertive if you are a female with male students, if you are a male with female students keep your distance, do not call out your Saudi students if they have, or are suspected of doing something wrong, speak with them in private. Thirdly offer accommodations for language barriers and engage them in some healthy competition to keep them motivated. And lastly, keep an eye out for racism or abuse from abuse from other members of the school.

A Comparison of Religion in Sir Gawain and Green Knight and Othello Ess

Role of Religion in Sir Gawain and Othello      Ã‚   Respect for religion and government is an important part of any country, but what happens to a country when these values begin to change?   England was beginning to go through this change in 1603 when Othello was written by William Shakespeare.   Comparing the religious themes and heroes of Othello to the story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight which was written during the Middle English era, will demonstrate just how far England had come.   Both heroes are clearly religious, but Gawain maintains his faith until the end, while Othello falls into the snare of temptation.   The spiritual hero of Middle English is quite different from the tragic hero of the Machiavellian era.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   To begin, look at a night in the life of Sir Gawain.   It is Christmas Eve and Gawain is in need.   He needs a place to stay in his search for the Green Knight's castle and he has traveled a long way.   What does he do?   Gawain could boast of his great ability to find his way and gallop on.   He could give up and go home as many others would.   He could become so completely discouraged after all his hard work with no results, that he wishes someone would just thrust a sword into his side and put him out of his misery. Gawain doesn't do any of those things though.   That is just not Sir Gawain of Camelot.   He is not that kind of hero.    And at that holy ride He prays with all his might That Mary may be his guide Till a dwelling comes in sight. (736-739)    If that wasn't enough, Gawain continues praying when he realizes that it is Christmas Day and he is missing mass:    I beseech of Thee, Lord, And Mary, thou mildest mother so dear, Some harborage where... ...troduction" Modern Critical Interpretations, Othello Ed. Harold Bloom, Pub. Chelsea House New Haven CT 1987. (1-6)    Dinney, Larry. Religion and Tradition in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1995.    Gardner, John. The Complete Works of the Gawain Poet. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1965.    Gawain Poet. "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight." The Norton Anthology of English Literature. Ed. M.H. Abrams et al. 6th ed. 1 vol. New York: W.W.W. Norton & Company, 1993. 1:200-254    Jones, Eldred. "Othello- An Interpretation" Critical Essays on Shakespeare's Othello. Ed. Anthony G. Barthelemy Pub. Macmillan New York, NY 1994. (39-55)    Snyder, Susan. "Beyond the Comedy: Othello" Modern Critical Interpretations, Othello Ed. Harold Bloom, Pub. Chelsea House New Haven CT 1987. (page 23-37)

Experiments made in Transfer of Training or Learning Essay

The question of transfer has been definitely put to a test in order to show far training in one line influences other lines. Many experiments and studies in transfer of training have been performed by psychologists. Starch considered the problem of transfer in two fields: 1. Transfer in Specific Psychological Activities—The experiments performed in this field were the following: Experiments in memory, by James—William James was the first to attack the problem of memory-training experimentally. He investigated the effort of memorizing one kind of material on ability to memorize other kinds of materials. James himself memorized 158 lines from Victor Hugo’s Satyr and kept record of the time spent. He then devoted thirty-eight days (20 minutes per day) to the mastery of Milton’s Paradise Lost. After his Training in memorization, he selected another 158 lines from the Satyr and memorized them. He discovered that he needed more time to learn this selection than he had spent in memorizing the first selection from the Satyr. His result showed negative transfer. From their studies James was led to believe that formal discipline is not an efficacious means of improving the memory (National Society for the Study of Education, 2000). Experiment in perception, by Thorndike and Woodworth, in 1901— Thorndike and Woodworth studied the influence of special training on the estimation of magnitudes upon the ability to estimate magnitudes of the same general type, and the influence of training in observing words containing certain other letters. Thorndike and Woodworth concluded from the first part of the experiment that there was more improvement in the ability to estimate areas similar to the practice material than in the ability to estimate dissimilar areas. The result of the second experiment showed that practice in cancelling words with certain letters had an indirect effect on the cancelling words of words with other letters (National Society for the Study of Education, 2000). Experiments in judging weights of various sizes transferred to estimation of other weights, by Coover, in 1916—these experiments showed positive transfer. Experiments in maze-learning for both rats and human, by Webb in 1971—It was concluded from the results of these experiments that there were carry over effects from practice in one sensory-motor activity to another but the amount of transfer varied with the individual subject (Morgan, 1999). From these studies of transfer two conclusions may be drawn: (a) both negative and positive transfers occur between specific learning activities: (b) the more similar the specific activities, the greater the positive transfer. In other words, whatever transfer occurred could be expanded in terms of identical elements of procedure, habits, and methods. Transfer in School Subjects—Most of the experimental studies made of transfer in high school subjects were the following: From Latin to English by Thorndike and Rugger in 1923—Thorndike and Rugger found out that their studies that high school freshmen who studied Latin made slightly higher scores in an English vocabulary test than did students who had not studied Latin, the gain made on all words derived from Latin roots. So far as pedagogical practice is concerned, Thorndike’s and Rugger’s investigation established the fact of transfer of training (Skinner, 2000). From Latin to English vocabulary, by Hamblen in 1924—Hamblen concluded that transfer from Latin to English vocabulary was great when word derivations were stressed in the teaching of Latin (Skinner, 2000). In conclusion, experiments in the effect of cross-education, in observing and judging sensory and perceptual data, and in forming sensory motor association habits have been conducted in considerable number by other psychologists. A few experiments in special school functions have also been carried out. The results obtained from the experiments in those different lines, although confusing and sometimes contradictory, seem to warrant the belief that the old idea of a vast transfer, in some subtle and unexplained way, of special improvements to a general faculty, is false. It may be summed up by saying that the weight of evidence is all against formal discipline. The experimental evidence is against the idea that the faculties or powers of the mind can be trained like muscles so that the strengthening of these powers will automatically insure a high degree of efficiency in new and unrelated material or activities.

Analysis Of Abigail Williams s The Crucible - 1342 Words

The main character I chose to analyze is Abigail Williams. Abigail is a very intelligent, manipulative, and cunning character in The Crucible. Some would call her the puppet master of the play, as she almost seems to have all of the other characters on a string, controlling their destiny with her sly and devious ways. A main example of this in the play, was her use of Mary Warrens poppet to manipulate and control Elizabeth Proctors fate. A poppet is somewhat of a voodoo doll, which Mary Warren had innocently created, and left in the Proctor household. Abigail saw this as opportunity to finally destroy Elizabeth once and for all, after having an affair with her husband John, and still wanting to get him back. The only way to do this, was to kill Elizabeth. Abigail stabbed herself in the abdomen with a large needle, and cried witchcraft at Elizabeth, insinuating that Elizabeth had been the one to stab her through witchcraft. The courts fell for her ingenious plan, and Elizabeth was innocently sent off to jail. This is only one example of the scheming ways of Abigail, shown throughout the play. Her main motivating factor has a theme of jealousy and revenge on Elizabeth. She is clearly the â€Å"villain† of the play with her deceitful ways, and never shows any remorse for her actions. She is also a large example of irony in the play, as she is the one that was first accused of witchcraft, but ends up successfully blaming everybody else. Two major themes shown in theShow MoreRelatedThe Crucible By Arthur Miller998 Words   |  4 PagesBridget Bishop with the Devil!† This is when Abigail Williams confesses to being a witch. This outburst shows the hypocrisy in Salem as well as ignorance towards the idea of the witch trials. Beginning with confessions of a meeting with the devil, continuing with declaring a reunification with Jesus, and ending with of course, accusing others of witchcraft. 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The novel takes place in Salem Massachusetts in 1692. It starts off with the local pastor, Reverend Parris, catching a group of girls, one of them his daughter and one of them being his niece, practicing witchcraft in the woods. Abigail is the leader of the group of girls, and her motive for theRead MoreEssay about McCarthyism as Modern Witch Hunts1614 Words   |  7 Pagesits agencies, corrupt. Todays scenario is nothing compared to that of McCarthyism in the 1950s. During McCarthyism, the nation was being torn apart. Their loyalty to one another was crushed and common human decency went down the drain (Miller, Crucible xiv). These Communist hunts were eerily similar to the witch hunts and trials of Salem Massachusetts in the 1600s. The Puritans have a strict religion with very strong roots. The whole community was torn apart by this witch scare from the children