Visiting Teachers' Lives Changed by Experience at the U of A

Teachers in the Access program gather after having dinner in an American home

Access teachers visit with students at a local school

Visiting Access teachers enjoy a meal together

Visiting teachers take shelter under umbrellas on a rainy day

Photo Submitted

Teachers in the Access program gather after having dinner in an American home

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Spring International Language Center is currently hosting 24 English language teachers from North Africa and the Middle East. The teachers are instructors in the English Access Microscholarship Program, which provides a foundation of English language skills through after-school classes and intensive summer camps to talented teenagers in their home countries who are from economically disadvantaged sectors.

The teachers are here to learn strategies for teaching and engaging language learners and to gain insight into American culture. During their stay, the visiting teachers are participating in sessions offered by Spring International, forming relationships with local teacher “buddies,” visiting the homes of local families and visiting some of the area’s most popular destinations to interact with members of the community.

The group will also be visiting Little Rock and Memphis as part of the three-week program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by AMIDEAST. The program will celebrate an early Thanksgiving dinner on Oct. 2 and will conclude on Oct. 4.

“One of the things we know about language learning is that language and culture are inextricably bound,” said Leyah Bergman-Lanier, director of Spring International Language Center. “This experience gives the teachers a very intense immersion in American culture and direct exposure to how we use language, our values and lifestyles. Their involvement gives them a very profound, tangible understanding of what life and people are like in the U.S. It gives them real life stories and anecdotes to share with their students and ways to motivate them in a whole new way.”

Nawal Dib, a teacher from Algeria, said being able to participate in the program is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and she is excited to have the chance to hone her English skills.

“I don’t get to speak to a lot of natives, so talking to natives here will help me to master the accent,” she said.

Boraa Al-Omari is a teacher from Jordan. He is enjoying being immersed in American culture and said the experiences he has had so far are invaluable.

“I came here to live the culture because teaching things theoretically has nothing to do with practicing it,” he said.

One of the goals of the program is for the participants to take the knowledge they have gained while studying at Spring International and share it with colleagues in their home countries. Moroccan teacher Aaouatif Sebaai said she plans to do just that.

“In our countries, we don’t have a lot of workshops and seminars about new techniques and theories, so we want to learn from the teachers here and transmit that knowledge to other teachers and our students,” she said.

Each of the teachers acknowledged that the lessons they are learning have been instrumental in their professional development.

“I cannot deny that all of the activities and techniques we’ve been learning have been really amazing, and I’m sure I’m going to try all of them with my students,” Sebaai said. “I am also going to encourage my students to be more active citizens and to engage in more community services activities, so they can learn to be leaders.”

The program has been eye-opening for many of the teachers, so much so that several of them are considering continuing their education at the University of Arkansas.

“Because of this experience, many of us are thinking of coming here to continue to study. We have been asking many questions about the master’s degree,” said Haisam Hleihil, a teacher from Israel.

Being a part of the program has made the teachers more appreciative of their work and left them feeling a responsibility to become ambassadors of teaching in their home countries. They all expressed an enormous sense of gratitude for the opportunity.

“The sense of hospitality here is amazing. The people are so nice, so helpful, so kind and so generous,” Al-Omari said. “We are all so thankful for the U.S. Department of State, Dr. Lanier, our teacher buddies, our host families, the people working behind the scenes and everyone involved with the program.”

Each of the participants said they came to Fayetteville with a lot of expectations about the program, but their experience has surpassed anything they could have imagined.

“I was told before coming here that I would come back as a different person, and it’s completely true,” Hleihil said.