I Hate Chalkboards, But I Used One To Do Something Cool.

The classrooms in Tahnaoute all have chalkboards. In fact, all of my fellow Fulbrighters have reported that they also have chalkboards in their classrooms. This could be a Morocco-wide phenomenon.

I hate chalkboards. They always look dirty. The chalk dust gets all over my hands and dries them out. At the end of class I will inevitably have chalk all over my hips, thighs, knees, backside, or all of the above.

But, I was able to do something cool with a chalkboard last week. I wrote in Arabic.

The students didn't understand the English word "perseverance" in their textbooks, so I wrote the Arabic equivalent on the board.

I wish I could say that I figured out the Arabic equivalent all by myself. Then I would be a linguistic rock star. However, the truth is that Brahim wrote it down for me, and I simply copied it on the board.

For the record, I want to state that I recognized all of the letters, and was able to write them correctly on the first try. The students applauded. I beamed.

I feel quite proud of myself. :)