Egyptian-American teens learn from the comfort of their living room CAIRO: Imagine a classroom just steps away from your bed, conducting a science experiment in your kitchen, and taking a walk to the bakery for PhysEd class. This is a normal school day for Nathaniel and Daniel Sedra, 16 and 13 years old, Egyptian-American boys who are educated through a home schooling program called Switched-On Schoolhouse (S.O.S.). It is conducted through CD-ROMs that contain English-language modules for five major subjects, namely Bible, Language Arts, History and Geography, Math, and Science. The program is created by U.S.-based Alpha Omega Publications. Nathaniel and David's mother, Terry Sedra, an American teacher, charts the 180-day program and tracks down every lesson, test or project that each child has accomplished. Sedra and her Egyptian husband switched their sons' education to this program three years ago. Previously, Nathaniel and Daniel attended regular schools in Luxor and then in El-Obour. "It was part of our family plan that they would switch to English. This was one of the easiest ways, Sedra said. "For Arabic schools, when they study English you just study a little bit of conversation and some funny kind of spelling wherein they put M-A-R-Y and they leave off the 'A' and you're supposed to know when to put it in there. It doesn't make any sense. The other alternative, which is to enroll Nathaniel and Daniel at language schools like the American International School (A.I.S.) or Cairo American College (C.A.C.), would have cost them at least LE 40,000 per year, while the total cost of S.O.S. is only about LE 6,000 per child. This already includes supplementary books, art and science materials, and occasional field trips to the library or cultural performances. The S.O.S. program also teaches more intensive grammar and composition, compared to a limited English curriculum in Egyptian public schools. "They never had you write a report, they never had you read large amounts, they always spoke with an accent, Nathaniel said. Aside from learning English in a better way, Nathaniel and Daniel also save two hours a day that normally went to commuting to school and can focus better on their learning. Also, they no longer need to squeeze into a crowded classroom, where they would compete with 70 kids for space, books and even the air that they breathe. "The teacher gave no attention to each [student], recalled Daniel of his school in Luxor. "He just gave the lesson and if you got it, you got it. If you didn't, you didn't. You failed. Though Nathaniel prefers home schooling to a regular classroom, he thinks that having a teacher who gives attention is still better than having a computer for a teacher. "The only thing that I really missed was not being able to ask the teacher again, he said. "Because with the computer, it's written, you can't ask anything more. What they've explained, they've explained, and you can't go really any deeper. To monitor progress and motivate the child to do his work, the S.O.S. program has a clock system which automatically puts a red mark when the child is delayed with a particular module. Despite the flexibility and financial savings that home school offers, some educators and parents are wary of the lack of social interaction, which may affect the children's growth and behavior. Some education experts criticize that the absence of discussion and playtime with peers deprives them of means to learn the values of cooperation, respect, and following rules. "Interaction and competition are good for motivation, said Aly El-Shikaiby, who finished his doctorate in Sociology of Education at Pittsburgh University and is now the Director for the Center for Developing University Education (CDUE) in the College of Education. "Peer and cooperative teaching is now encouraged by educators. Some students may look to their classmates to be an ideal. Sedra looks to other opportunities for her children to interact. She and her husband, a pastor for a Christian church, constantly entertain local and foreign visitors, who become part of Nathaniel and Daniel's learning environment. "I think that they have plenty of opportunity to exchange ideas and have social life, but the problem is it's always with adults, Sedra said. To giver her sons an opportunity to meet children their age, Sedra enrolled them in summer classes at Cairo American College (CAC) in Maadi. Here, she observed that Nathaniel cared more about the subject than interacting with classmates. "(He) was more friends with the teacher than with anybody else in the class. I asked him why, he said 'I wanted to go in there to learn, those kids don't care.' He's called his teacher several times, he's gone to visit him, Sedra said. Asked if the lack of social interaction in home schooling bothered him, Nathaniel easily replied, "I'm not that type of person. I don't care, really. I just learn better alone. Daniel, on the other hand, admits that he does miss the discussions at Triton, a school in Indiana, U.S.A. where they studied for two semesters while doing missionary work. "We could discuss things in class and that was fun, like in science and social studies, he said. The one major subject lacking from the S.O.S. program is the Arabic language, with all of the CD-ROM courses conducted in English. Their Arabic now limited to conversation, both Nathaniel and Daniel admit that their vocabulary has deteriorated. But Sedra believes that their present knowledge of Arabic is sufficient and it is a better grasp of English that will put them ahead for university and job applications. El-Shikaiby offers a different view. "I think Arabic is more difficult to learn than English, he said. "There are many aspects in the Arabic language that a student can't learn by himself, like grammar and literature. And Arabic is more related to our culture, to our history. For El-Shikaiby, switching to an English education may diminish an Egyptian youth's loyalty to and longing for his society and culture. However, Sedra believes her sons have a happy compromise. "I think that our choice of putting them in Arabic schools in the beginning and then switching them to English school was the best because for most of the Egyptian people, when they get to high school they're struggling to get some English, she said. With five years of teaching experience both in Egypt and the U.S., Sedra's involvement is critical in the success of her children's home schooling. Aside from helping them with the major subjects, she also creates elective programs that will supplement their learning. She gives them violin and piano lessons, assigns projects like a concert or a puppet show, and takes them rollerblading or running for the PhysEd session. "I'm so involved that I can't get another job, Sedra expressed. After all, the CD-ROMs can't do the trick. Ultimately, home schooling is about the parents taking their children's education in their own hands.
