Salah Ibrahim, who is teaching Arabic language and Egyptian culture at Plymouth High School this school year, will host a series of free evening lectures for the community.
The Arabic world is full of political events that are attracting the attention of the whole world, Mr. Ibrahim said. In addition, the Arab world is an open market for investment and employment.
Mr. Ibrahim is in Plymouth thanks to the Teachers of Critical Languages Program funded by the U.S. Department of State and administered by American Councils for International Education. The program is designed to increase the number of Americans teaching and studying Arabic (and also Mandarin Chinese). Teachers chosen to participate through a highly competitive selection process spend the entire school year in their host schools.
The lectures will build on those offered last year by Ez Eldin Salem, Plymouth’s first TCLP Arabic teacher.
The free, public lectures will be from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. every other Thursday in the Plymouth High School library:
• Thursday, Jan. 26: Current Events in Egypt: Making Sense of the Revolution
• Thursday, Feb. 9: Places To Visit in Egypt: Plan Your Trip
• Thursday, Feb. 23: Egyptian Tribes and Traditional Clothes
• Thursday, March 8: Famous People in Egyptian History
Mr. Ibrahim also will be teaching an Arabic language course for the community. A Bit of Arabic will cover basics and general use of the Arabic language; reading, writing, speaking and understanding Arabic; and the cultural atmosphere that the Arabic language embodies. Arabic, the fifth most common language on Earth, is spoken by more than 1 billion people all over the world.
Class will meet from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. Mondays from Jan. 23 to Feb. 27 at Plymouth High School. Mr. Ibrahim is volunteering his time, so there is no charge for the class, but please register by Jan. 13.
Both the Arabic class and the lecture series are meant to build a bridge between American values and Arab values, and to build the kind of trust that both Americans and Arabs need to create a better future, Mr. Ibrahim said.
Learn more:
• A guide to all of the Community Education and Recreation winter courses appeared in the Dec. 13 Plymouth Review Xtra and is available at locations throughout the community. Click here to view a pdf of the guide.
• Visit www.plymouth.k12.wi.us/COM.html, call 892-5068 or visit Plymouth Community Education & Recreation on the north end of Plymouth High School, 125 Highland Ave.
