"We prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be."
Spotlight: Arabic Class
It's an ironically warm day to be learning about weather in Nadim Bawalsa's Arabic II class. Students are practicing the words for "autumn" (alkharif), "snow" (thalaj), and "winter" (shata'). And although the weather may be an anomaly, student curiosity in Nadim’s Arabic class is anything but.
This cross-grade level class is fascinating to observe in action; the class consists of a roughly 3:1 mixture of Middle School to Upper School students, and exemplifies the true importance of learning through mentorship. "The Upper Schoolers are mentors to the Middle Schoolers who are in turn mentors to the Upper Schoolers," Nadim said. "The different levels at which they're learning is so great. The Upper School Student can have a chance at reviewing and solidifying older material while the Middle School gets a glimpse into what lies ahead. In essence, the kids are taking two courses at once.” This type of environment combined with frequent conversational practice means that everybody teaches everybody.
Arabic teacher Nadim Bawalsa leads a class discussion.
"I'll sometimes get emails from students concerned with the complexity of the various structures, even questioning the possibility of mastering a Semitic language with so many other commitments at such an age, and I constantly have to reassure them, and myself, that it's all about the process,” Nadim said. “Learning any language, and especially a language such as Arabic, comes with time, great repetition, and patience in the fact that you'll get it if you're patient."
Nadim further elaborated that it's often the beginner students employing these initial doubts; Nadim starts his students out with a college-level textbook.
“I’ve learned that once they've been in the program for a while, students latch onto the pedagogy and are seemingly able to flourish,” he said. “It's the initial hump, the transition into a language so different from English that scares so many away. But once students give it a little bit of time, they begin to see just how possible it actually is to speak Arabic. In fact, out of my previous students who continue on to study Arabic in college, every single one of them has placed into some level of advanced course. Every single one of them. Learning this language is more than possible, it may be difficult, but it is so possible."
Fouad '18 performs in a school drama production. Fouad says he plans to put his Arabic Studies to use in writing culturally accurate plays.
One particular student, Fouad ’18, grew up speaking the language at home but never learned to read or write in Arabic. He said that the course offerings in Arabic were a central reason he and his family chose Friends Seminary.
"When the time came for me to look at high schools, Friends was the only private school in New York City that even offered the language. I knew I had to come here.”
"Although I came in knowing how to speak a lot of the language, and with an initial grasp on various idioms and colloquialisms, it was the initially scary fact of learning to write an entirely new script that challenged me. The department's approach, and emphasis on slow but steady learning, really helped me to succeed.”
Fouad said he is now confident enough in the reading and writing portion of the Arabic language to connect with his grandparents (who speak very limited English) over email.
But what does Fouad want to do after his time at Friends? "I want to write plays," he said. “There are so many similarities to learning theater and playwriting that one can grasp in learning a language. Theater, television, and movie portrayals of anybody of a different culture are almost exclusively stereotypical, and understanding somebody's language can really help you understand their culture. I aim to write culturally relevant, yet accurate, depictions in my pieces. I know that having this in depth training and knowledge of the Arabic language will help me succeed in doing this."
A student reads in Nadim's Arabic II class.
It is precisely the determination of students like Fouad that reminds dedicated educators like Nadim why they're in the field. "By far, my favorite part of working in Arabic education here at Friends has been the closeness that my colleague Joseph and I get to develop with our students. Something so simple as hearing about a student’s experience with the Arabic language outside the classroom is enough to keep me going on a tough day, or to inspire me to want to do more."
It would be difficult not to notice Nadim's own passion for the language. In addition to his time spent here as a full-time educator, he is also a full-time student in the final stages of completing his PhD in Middle Eastern Studies at New York University. "I just really love teaching not only the language, but the culture to kids who may otherwise never be exposed to it."
Equally matched by his love of teaching is his clear appreciation for the Quaker tenets of learning ubiquitous to a day in the life of a Friends educator. "I was born in Jordan, but my family is no stranger to Quaker education. My grandmother attended Ramallah Friends school some years ago, and thus instilled within me a lifelong appreciation for silence, peace, and empathy."
Friends Seminary actively promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in all its programs and operations, including admissions, financial aid, hiring, and all facets of the educational experience. To form a community which strives to reflect the world’s diversity, we do not discriminate on the basis of race or color, religion, nationality, ethnicity, economic background, physical ability, sex, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation. Friends Seminary is an equal opportunity employer.
Friends Seminary — the oldest continuously operated, coeducational school in NYC — serves college-bound day students in Kindergarten-Grade 12.
