Adventures abroad

I have taught with some of the smartest, most creative educators in the world. Make no mistake, teaching is a gritty business — we are in the trenches with these kids.

We know them and they respect us and they love us. We push, cajole and negotiate to get results from them.

Abu Dhabi is relatively new to this business of education, and it is putting its resources toward developing a new school model.

It includes hiring certified English educators. Many are from Georgia, drawn to foreign shores by the benefits, the pay and the adventure.

The schools in the United Arab Emirates pay to fly American teachers and their families home once a year.

The free flights back to the states are perks of working overseas.

Other benefits include salaries that range from $40,000 to $75,000, a $20,000 housing allowance, lower-cost utilities, cheap gas and no taxes.

I came with no expectations, knowing fully well that I might have had to turn right around and go back to my country.

There were days, especially in the first few months, that I should have left — when the classroom really was too dangerous, with negligible support from administrators in a violent storm of never-disciplined or socialized little boys.

I came to my own conclusion that the boys, sadly, are academically stunted because of a lack of motivation to learn and a culture that teaches them little self-discipline. Accountability is not among the cultural mores in the Persian Gulf states.

Abu Dhabi is moving toward feminizing the boys’ schools, meaning that to provide jobs to the Emirati teachers, women will teach the elementary boys.

My transfer to a girls’ school came after the first semester. The girls’ facility lacked resources out in the desert.

We teachers had to make our own, including books, classroom games and even our own copies. But the little girls were sweet and willing to learn in ways that the boys were not ready to do. The schedule is difficult and the classes often hover at about 30 students.

Elementary instructors teach two 2 1/2-hour sessions of English, science and math, with one 45-minute planning period and a 20-minute lunch break.

Most days, teachers stay about an hour after school for meetings or professional development. Each principal decides the attire the staff must adhere to while at work.

In the boys’ school, I was required to wear an abaya, the black neck-to-floor covering. A few principals require teachers to cover their hair in a hijab or head covering.

I felt that I was back in my element when I began to teach at a girls’ high school. I taught six 45-minute classes of English. I saw the same girls twice a day.

It was in a new school, a 45-minute drive out into the desert. The classes were large, 30 and 29 students respectively.

The curriculum was project-based, and the bulk of the student grades were derived from one theme-based project that included research, writing and a PowerPoint presentation.

My girls came from large families, often with 20 or more members because the fathers had multiple wives.

Each of the mothers had her own home walled within the family compound.

On Fridays, after mosque, the families gathered at their mother’s home or a favorite relative’s home to share a meal.

Teachers go through a rigorous evaluation process that is data driven and includes gathering evidence in the form of actual student work.

Teachers are formally observed six times a year and informally at the discretion of administration.

So, that’s the lowdown in a nutshell if you’re thinking about teaching in Abu Dhabi.

I am glad I did it. Would I recommend it to another teacher? Never. There are just too many variables.

But if you are the adventurous type, can roll on a dime and can really command a classroom, you might want to consider it.

Carrie Cooper of Sandy Springs just returned from teaching for more than two years in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi to take a post at a private Atlanta school.