We visited an all-girls College Prep school sponsored by Aramco today. This highly competitive school accepts students who score at a 90% or higher on a standardized test in their 12th year of Saudi public or private school. Unlike US college prep high schools, this program lasts nine months and is started after Saudis graduate (assuming they have the exceptional credentials!) The students we talked to are studying Physics, Chemistry, Calculus, and English to prepare them for admissions to colleges in Europe and the United States. Many of them have travelled abroad, often numerous times! (Many are daughters of wealthy Aramco employees of course! But all Saudis can in theory apply for the highly competitive program) When asked what they would like to know about college in the US, most were wondering if they would be treated well. Two girls said they opted to apply at UK schools because of the difficulty of obtaining visas. I talked with many of these girls, and they are exceptionally bright. It almost saddened me that their impression of the US was that people may consider them "terrorists." These conversations reinforced to me how important it is for me as a teacher to break down stereotypes and build connections. On a side note, I did turn over the letters that my female advanced global studies students wrote. (Sorry guys, I will have to visit a boy's school to hand yours out.) Also, in case you're wondering why I put a picture of that nice looking furnished room: it's the student lounge. :-)
5 comments:
the school walls look plain in the picture so i was wondering are the classrooms different in Saudi Arabia than in the US?
-Jeff K
Do the students watch American television?
hey mr. senrick. how are you enjoying saudi arabia so far? i was just curious, have you experienced some unusual cultural setbacks yet? if i was traveling to a distant country like Saudi Arabia, i would expect things to be pretty alien to the things we deal with here. what group are you traveling with again? i think you mentioned it in class before, but i forgot. [typical me] i just wanted to say hello and see how life was going way over there. its really neat that you have this blog going so that we can see what your experiencing and the cool things that you get to see. youve really inspired me to travel and i thank you for that. now for some thought provoking questions! tehe =]. how did the students like the letters? can they speak/read english? have you had to wear the traditional clothing? would you say that women are treated poorly there? hows the weather? [ha...i had to ask it :] is Saudi Arabia affected with the war in Iraq? hows the food? are the people friendly? well, i guess thats about it for me. minnesota's dull, as usual. at least breaks here! best of luck on the rest of your trip! hope to hear back.
-Amy
hey senrick,
speaking of the letters we wrote to the saudi students. did they say anything when they got the letters? How is the school and students different then in the U.S.?
-Nikki Osvold
so was it at all like you thought it was going to be? how? from alyssa w.!!
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