Siletz news /, January 01, 2010, Page 7, Image 7

From Cairo to Siletz: A Teacher’s Journey to Oregon
By Diane Rodriquez
of arts degree in English language and
"I want them to think globally
gel Irom the
from Ain Shames University in
more. Broadening their horizon is ve™
more. Broadening their horizon is very
bustling metropolis of Cairo, Egypt, to
Cairo. She has taught English at Shobra
important, she said. “This is a good op­
the small town of Siletz?
El Khama Sanaweeya el Banal Secondary
portunity for them to learn about culture
She becomes involved with the
School for Girls since 1994.
in Arabic countries.”
Teachers of Critical Languages Program,
She's also a member of the Ministry of
They'll learn so much, she said, that
which recruits and places English as a
Education, where she works to improve the
they're preparing to perform a play in
Foreign Language teachers from China,
teaching of English as a foreign language.
Arabic in the talent show the school holds
Jordan and Egypt in American secondary
Hassan is the oldest of six. with two
at the end of the school year.
schools, where they teach their native
sisters and three brothers, plus four nieces.
While working toward that end,
language and culture.
She’s engaged to marry Hatim Ateya in
Hassan also will encourage parents and
This program is administered by
July 2010. Ateya has applied to get his
students to continue to learn more about
American Councils for International
Ph.D. degree in business administration
other communities and cultures - and to
Education, a program of the Bureau of and economics from an American univer­
value education more.
Educational and Cultural Affairs in the
sity in 2011, so the couple may be spend­
Education gives them more chances
U.S. Department of State.
ing more time in the United States.
in life. Doors open if you know more
Abir Hassan is from Egypt and is
Hassan says being here is a challenge
languages (and cultures),” she said. "Their
teaching Arabic language and culture to
for her because of the students’ unfamiliarity
education needs more motivation. It can
students at Siletz Valley School and Siletz
with other cultures. She's pleased that she
make their lives plentiful. Kids need more
Valley Early College Academy.
can bring Arabic culture, including things
motivation for education because educa­
like song and dance, into their classroom.
She is one of five teachers placed in
tion is their future.”
the western United States this year by the
TCLP program. Two are in Utah, with
one each in Arizona and New Mexico.
Abir Hassan runs
The remainder are in the Mid-West, on
through Arabic
the East Coast or in the South.
* HV c«
language drills
Hassan says Arabic is harder to learn
with students in her
than other languages in part because its
ninth-grade class.
letters change shape depending on where
She
teaches Arabic
they are in the word and because it goes
language, culture and
from right to left. But, she adds, her stu­
history to children in
dents in Siletz are doing well.
several grades.
“They've learned the foundation,
which is an impressive start," she said of
the students to whom she has taught the
Arabic words for various occupations,
foods, times, family and directions. “If
they hear someone speaking Arabic, they
can interpret what he is saying. I don’t
give them an easy way (to remember what
words mean). I encourage them to guess
at the English meaning."
Hassan is from the city of Shobra
Elkheima near Cairo and has a bachelor’s
Resolutions, con’t from previous page
debt problem with all the breaks
the Obama administration has been
giving. A number of reputable com­
panies can help you tackle this but
make sure to do your research before
picking a company to help you. It’s
worth consulting with three compa­
nies and asking what they can do for
you before making a decision. Also,
be careful about divulging all your
personal information such as Social
Security numbers and bank accounts
prior to doing your research. Al­
though there are fees associated with
the services, companies build their
reputations based on saving you many
more dollars than they cost you.
8. Learn Something New - A little cre­
ativity goes a long way. The Newport
Recreation Center always has new
and inexpensive classes and learning
seminars. Stop by and look at the
flyers - everything from tango danc­
ing, Pilates, painting classes or craft
classes. Whether you are looking for
a way to express yourself creatively or
expand your knowledge of a subject,
the Internet is an easy way to find a
way to channel into the best way to
learn something new. The library has
several computers you can use and the
friendly staff can help anyone feeling
shy on their computers skills.
9. Help Others-You don’t have to have
a lot of money to help others. There
are plenty of ways to get involved
locally. For people without much,
it’s often the small things that help
the most. Most local food shares,
animal shelters and schools work
with volunteers. The Oregon Coast
Aquarium trains volunteers as does
the Hatfield Marine Science Center
in Newport.
10. Get Organized - Several websites
can help you target the cluttered and
disorganized areas of your life and
make suggestions on how to stay
more organized. Most of them men­
tion getting rid of things you don’t
need (may also go along with No.
9), cleaning out what you do have
and making some kind of list in order
to get through things that need to be
done. Whether it's a new organizer
for you, a phone that beeps when
you have appointments or plans to
freeze a week’s worth of food on the
weekend, try not to forget to enjoy
life around you while you pencil in
every activity you are involved in.
http://organizedhome.com/
Abir Hassan reviews the sounds of the
letters in the Arabic alphabet.
2010 Standing Committee
Applications Due
Deadline for consideration for committees is Jan. 29,2010
Any Tribal member interested in serving on a committee for a two-year
term must fill out the following form and return it to the address below prior to
Jan. 29, 2010.
Please mail or fax your application to Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians,
Attn: Executive Secretary to Tribal Council, P.O. Box 549, Siletz OR 97380-0549-
fax: 541-444-8325.
Name:
Address:
City:____________
Telephone: Day ( )
Roll No:
_ State:ZIP:
_________ __ Evening ( )
Choose the first, second and third choice of committees you are requesting
by numbering your preference 1, 2, 3 in the space provided. If you only want
to be considered for one committee, please indicate this by inserting
the number 1.
Education Committee (3)
Natural Resources Committee (3)
Health Committee (3)
Cultural Heritage Committee (3)
Housing Committee (3)
Pow-Wow Committee (no limit)
Budget Committee (1)
Tribal Council will review applications and approve appointments at the
Tnbal Council meeting in February 2010. If you have any questions,
please call Tribal Council’s executive secretary, Tami Miner, at 800-922-1399
ext. 1203, or 541-444-8203.
January 2010
•
Siletz News
•
7