What is your favorite aspect of your role as the Upper School’s Arabic Teacher?

“In my role as an Arabic teacher, I have the opportunity to share my knowledge and passion for the Arabic language and culture with my students and help them develop their language skills, and deepen their understanding of the language’s grammar, vocabulary, and cultural context throughout the four years in the Upper School.  Teaching them Arabic also provides the students with valuable skills.  Arabic is an important language in today’s world, and it will serve them well in their future careers and personal lives.  Seeing the students progress and succeed in their language journey is a joy.”

How do you think students benefited from traveling to Morocco?

“The world we live in today is more connected and interdependent than ever before, and Sacred Heart Greenwich prepares students to broaden their perspectives and be globally connected.  The teaching of languages and organizing international trips are one of the many tools that would help them be open to the outside world and capable of recognizing the cultural norms of other societies.  The trip to Morocco, Africa, has provided the students with cultural immersion and contextualized what they have learned between the classroom walls.  They get to see and learn about local customs, traditions, and ways of life that may differ from their own.  This exposure to diversity can broaden their standpoints and help them become more open-minded and empathetic.  The trip also provided the students with an immersion experience, students had the opportunity to practice their Arabic and French in real-world situations, which can be more effective than classroom-based learning.  They used their language skills in a daily life setting as they had the chance to exchange small conversations with the locals, bargain and ask questions during our learning sessions too.”

What was your favorite memory from the trip?

“It is hard to say which moment was my favorite during the trip.  I liked every moment of the trip, from landing in Morocco until the last day.  I liked the fusion of the two languages as the French students competed with Arabic students to repeat or learn certain expressions or new words.  The Arabic students sometimes pretended to understand fast-spoken French.  I liked how we sometimes improvised and were able to do things that just came naturally, like playing with the eclectic kids’ toy cars in Rabat and the kids’ train ride in Ifrane, the students wanted to be kids again, and we allowed them that.  I liked how the students were engaged in community service activities.  I liked to see the students happy and enjoying the trip.”

The King Street Chronicle thanks Mrs. Souad Malih, Upper School Arabic Teacher, for her contributions to “Humans of Sacred Heart.”