Since his year of teaching Arabic language and culture at Renaissance Magnet High School in Meridian, Idaho, Ahmed Mohamed has been busy translating his experiences into action back at home in Beheira, Egypt. Having returned home, Ahmed embarked on a project to help Egyptian teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) build a pedagogical foundation, exchange best practices for EFL teaching, learn about the U.S. educational system, and share resources. Along the way, he has kept in touch with his former U.S. host school, working with Principal Penny Andrew and Arabic/Spanish teacher Casey Mattox on professional development projects for teachers in Egypt. “I started to look for developing skills rather teaching a body of knowledge,” Ahmed tells us, “Besides, I am concerned about teaching students how to develop the skills of working in a group.” He also encourages students to further explore American culture.
Ahmed is now an expert teacher and part-time district trainer at his school, where he says that TCLP has enabled him to serve as a resource on U.S. culture, for example, by explaining differences between Egypt’s centralized, top-down educational system and the relatively decentralized system that exists in the U.S. He is also studying translation, “because I discovered that I can establish bridges between the two languages through my understanding of both cultures.”
Ahmed has also remained in touch with many students, families, and teachers in the United States and hopes to visit the U.S. again in the future.
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