Plot twist, Part II

April 19—Well, just when I felt I’d figured out the language landscape in Morocco . . . plot twist (again).   But first, a quick look at a rendition of the meskouta I made just before departing for Casablanca.  My meskouta compared to the Hotel Idou Anfa's lunch meskouta:

My meskouta, with powdered sugar and Moroccan toothpick flags

Hotel Idou Anfa meskouta (Moroccan orange cake) with cream and fruit on top

While this may seem like a 'plot twist,' (no fancy garnish on the meskouta we've seen thus far,) hold on.  It's not.  

After a lovely lunch that included the above meskouta with fruit toppings (note: try making this version at home!), we headed back up to the 16th floor of our hotel in Casablanca, and took another look at the majestic Hassan II Mosque.

After taking the views in, it was time for what became one of our most memorable and thought-provoking presentations thus far.  Dr. Zoulal Mansouri, professor at Hassan II University.   

Dr. Mansouri (right) being introduced by our wonderful leader, the fabulous Meryem.

Dr. Mansouri shared her research on educational reforms in Morocco as we listened, furiously took notes, and reflected on the complexity of school systems and reforms in our heads.

It was during her presentation that came another plot twist in the story of our understanding and perceptions of Morocco.  She raised the question of whether students should learn so many languages at school.  Wait, we thought, you are superstars here in Morocco.  You've got language education figured out.  Your students are top-notch in language acquistion and multi-lingual learning and communication.  We've learned that most students speak Moroccan Arabic (Dareeja) at home, and many learn standard Arabic, French, and English at school.   And some, depending on the region in which they live, also speak Amazigh at home.  And many students are also now learning Amazigh at school as part of the Moroccan goal to preserve the Amazigh language and culture.  I even snapped a couple of photos in Casablanca to showcase the ways that the Moroccan government buildings have both Arabic and Amazigh text (and sometimes English or French, too):

You’ve got it all figured out, we thought to ourselves.  Why even raise the question of “how many languages should students learn in school?”

D. Mansouri pushed us to reflect, to think critically as educators, and to ask important and difficult questions for a moment.  She discussed the complexity of Moroccan education and complicated choices and how they are influenced by politics, language, and so much more.   Should the language of instruction at Moroccan universities be English or  French?  Should students focus on and learn two, three, or four languages?  What decisions should the Ministry of Education make when it comes to curriculum?  How will educators’ thoughts and opinions impact and influence these choices? In any country, we realized, when it comes to educational policy, well, as we well know, it is never simple or straightforward.

Finished one section of my "Explorer's Journal" - so much to take note of and remember!

Needless to say, I filled my explorer's journal with ideas - and even finished one of my notebook sections since there was so much to write down!  I didn’t want to forget anything.  Thanks again, Mr. Packard, for the journal!  Not to worry, there are two more sections with space in which to write and sketch out new ideas. . .and of course write down more questions!

​Dr. Mansouri presented many more ideas and gave us space to think about what is happening in Morocco's educational system - and how we can apply some of her research, ideas, and questions to our own practice.  We left her presentation feeling wiser and much more educated on what’s happening at the higher levels - just days before we will be on the ground in schools across Morocco.

Her thoughtfulness and desire to connect with us was once again in line with the Moroccan way, and we thanked her for deepening our “story” and understanding of Moroccan education and the linguistic landscape.  Soon, we will go to schools and see the ways that schools are impacted by policy, theory, and the ideas our lecturers presented to us  with such care.

Indeed, the plot thickens…