You gotta fight, for your right, to protest.

The current educational climate in Sedona-miz is truly... confusing. On one end students are studying around eight hours a day Mon-Fri with an extra four on a Saturday morning, attending Dar Chebab for another two at night, and getting extra help with tutors when they can fit it in. This evidence contrasting greatly with my expectations of the routine and motivation for teenagers in a country with such low literacy rates. On the other end, however, you have teachers who show up when it fits their convenience, lack of timely or constructive feedback on student coursework, and irreverence given to those teachers who work hard to make their students thrive both in and out of the classroom.

I had been waiting for an opportunity to write about this subject that I am so frustrated with and I have finally been presented with a perfect reason, a city-wide school protest today over the wrongful termination of two teachers at my host-sister's school, I-M.

An English teacher and a Philosophy teacher, both widely loved at the local high-school are appreciated for their teaching styles, support, and personalities throughout the entire student body. Though, apparently, with the director of the school, they aren't the most popular. Earlier this week they were informed that they should stop teaching their classes as they were going to be fired on grounds of frequent absences over the last semester. Seeing as they are two of the few teachers who actually show up to their scheduled classes week after week, this was appalling to say the least. My sister has come home many a time, hours earlier than expected, as one teacher after another has decided they don't feel like fulfilling their teaching responsibilities that day. This gobsmacks me. How can they get away with not showing up just because they don't feel like it?? Her lack of surprise shocked me more; apparently it happens all the time.

Hence why these particular accusations were so astounding. These two teachers actually care about their students. They actually teach them. They are actually doing their jobs. Thus, the entire student body of I-M, and the sister school, Al-F (which is significantly larger than I-M and houses most of the out of town students) has also chosen to suspend classes in response to the wrongful (and illegal? I need to figure that part out in this country) means of termination.

Most of the local and major television networks have been called and at least one is meant to show up this afternoon for the rally. As much as I want to go and show support, it's not exactly the smartest move, as how quickly can you see the headline of 'Peace Corps volunteer condemns Moroccan education system' thrown up on your screens and front pages. Yeesh. Let's avoid that. I did give my host-sister my camera, however, in order to capture some of the action. Will try and relay that one to you all later, hopefully.

It just boggles my mind the audacity of some people within the education system. I mean other than this particular incident, the part that angers me most about this system is the exit exam, and its repercussions, for BAC, or Baccalaureate students. At the end of their high school years, students are required to sit a national exam that accounts for a significant part of their ability to graduate. The thing is, even if the student is intelligent enough and under any other circumstances would have passed, they might not, and probably will not, due to the unspoken quota of those who can pass in order to not overcrowd higher education facilities (or insert any other ridiculous reason here). My host-sister, being among the unfortunate not to pass her BAC exam last year, is one of the many left behind, forced to repeat their second year baccalaureate. Only 27% passed the exam last year, or were 'allowed' to pass. It literally boils my blood as I've never seen anyone work as hard or be as clever as my host-sister is at her age. That girl is a genius by most standards and is forced to be embarrassed on a daily basis as she endures a second round of torturous preparation for this national exam with many of her friends in tow. So when two of her favorite and most motivated teachers have been given the guillotine without just reason, you can see where the frustration and urge to actually do something about it comes from.

Grr. Anyway, I shall update you after I hear from her tonight in class. Over and out.

Update: So after a few hundred students marched around the quad and completed some 'we're on strike' time near the flagpole, regional administration showed up after the director of the school had called to complain about riotous students disrupting school protocol. Turns out the admin new better and had a lengthy discussion with the director rather than the impassioned student body. At the end of the day the teachers were reinstated to their positions and classes resumed. High-fives all around to the kids of Sedona-miz. Yay for successful activism.