Students, here and there

Having taught for nearly 10 years in Seattle and now being in Cairo, people often ask about the differences/similarities between the student populations.

First – I must preface with, I am looking at Washington Apples and Egyptian Mangos. These groups have little in common. And yet, they are alike in so many ways. I know it sounds like a cliche, and it is still true. The ages of the two populations are EXTREMELY dissimilar, and still their preparedness is suprisingly similar. The American students are initially very guarded with faculty members, and the Egyptians are very open. My community college students were often financially struggling to go to school, my Egyptian students all come from “good families”. There are few scholarship or financial aid students at AUC.
I gave midterm exams in my classes over the last 2 days. For the week preceeding the exams, I’ve had e-mails and visits by students asking, “Do I have to know this for the exam? What about this?” I’ve done my Socratic best to side-step the questions, much to the chagrin of my students.

So in yesterday’s exam, students worked diligently, asked questions during the exam, and a group in the back DISCUSSED the exam. I warned them, stood in the midst of the group, made individual eye contact with each of them during warnings – to little avail. So I marked their papers to lose points. They wailed! How could I be so HARSH!!??

Today, one student walked in late, took his assignment out of his binder to give to me, and preceeded to leave his notebook OPEN on his lap. When I took the binder and asked him what he thought he was doing, he told me that he was soo worried about passing in the assignment and beginning the exam, he FORGOT that the notes were open on his lap. “How could I think he would USE them??”

And yet, to every cloud there is a silver lining. I had to laugh. At the end of the class period, the remaining students get VERY hard of hearing when I say that the exam is over, please pass it in. So I say it again – to no comprehension. So I clap my hands in a sliding motion, so that the “top” palm slides horizontally over the “bottom” palm (as if I am wiping crumbs off my hands) and loudly say, “Khallas”. Every student jumps, looks up and immediately hands in their paper! LOL

Khallas is the Egyptian word that means something like, “Done”, “Over”, “Enough”. I’ve heard it enough times from my students, now it was my turn. I chuckled all the way back to my office.