TGC has given me the opportunity to explore personal and professional curiosities related to varying

prospects that students of different genders receive in the classroom. In my Ithaca classes, I am aware
and strive to include students of all genders in my classroom participation. Considering the more defined
gender roles in the Moroccan culture than in the US culture, I was interested to learn more about the
available opportunities that male and female students receive in their classes in Morocco, and I
developed my research question to target the following concept: Do females and males receive equal
opportunity to succeed in Temara, Morocco High Schools?
During my time at Larbi Doghmi High School, (an urban school) I started my research by forming two
focus groups. There was a group of three randomly selected males and a group of four randomly
selected females. Each group would answer the 11 survey questions. Focus groups gave me insight on
their gender specific views about their role as a student.
Findings:
Basic Information

How many males in school? 283

How many females in school? 382

What is the attendance rate? 98%

What is the tardy rate? Not available, but many teachers would not let students into their
classrooms if they arrived late.

What is the participation like? Females were called on 23 out of 40 times based on the 6 classes
that I observed.

Academics (females vs. males)

How much time do you spend on homework per night?

o F: 2 3 hours
o M: 30 minutes 1 hour

How many math or science courses do they take?

o F: Physics and Science (2) Math (3) each class last 2 hours
o M: Science (1) Math (2-3) each class last 2 hours

What are their grades like in these courses?

o F: Math (C) Physics (A) Claimed low grades because of a bad teacher
o M: Math (B+) Science (A) Admitted at being lazy to get the easy track.

How do you feel about your success in the classes? Why?

o F: Pleased, comfortable, successful One female was the top student in her class. All of
the females said they are more interested in class work and what is happening than males.
o M: Could be doing better (all males)

Where do you go if you need help in school?

o F: English teacher (all females)
o M: English teacher - He is open minded and no generation gap (all males).

Family (females vs. males)

What are your chores like?

o F: Cleaning (30- 60 minutes)
o M: Help out cleaning occasionally, but not necessarily required

What are the expectations from your parents when you will get married?
o F: All females stated their parents do not care about marriage. Education was the main
concern for their families. Although, they do have some friends who are 17 year old are
engaged to males between ages of 20 -24. One student has a sister who lives in Virginia
and was part of the YES program.
o M: Father says wait to get married for two of the students, and one did not have a father
at home.

Arranged marriage?
o F: Parents do not expect that
o M: No, not considering this at home.

Career (females vs. males)

Do you have a role model?

o F: Georges Burou (famous French surgeon living in Morocco), Kelly slater (surfer)
o M: 100m Olympic runner; Lemaitre (French), Kelly slater (surfer)

Do you know an Engineer or Scientist?

o F: One students father has a friend who is an Engineer
o M: One student had an Uncle who was an Engineer

What is the typical path for females vs. males after high school?
o F: Two females said go to private school and stay in dorms, but leave at the weekend. Two
students did not know, but they wanted to go to university.
o M: Go to university or look for a job was the consensus for he males.

Based on my findings and observations I found it appropriate to mention that females are being
encouraged to do well, more so than males. In all of the classes that I observed, a female was typically
the first one to raise her hand to answer a question, go to the board and explain the problem, or act as a
teacher in the classroom by explaining the problem from her seat.
All of the females I interviewed were very direct about wanting to attend university after high school.
They discussed with excitement about wanting to be doctors or teachers. After our meetings we
followed the students to class; they were all sitting in the front section. After school I discovered males
would typically go and play with their friends and return home to only spend about 30 minutes to an
hour on homework. Males were not focused on the responsibilities that followed school. On the other
hand, females would spend upwards of three hours on homework and help with the family duties around
the house.

While at Larbi Doghmi High School we observed an English, Science and Math classroom. Each
classroom was operating a little bit different than the next
1. Our host teacher, Mr. Abdellatif El Moncef, was an English teacher whose progressive
classroom led the students through content based learning projects, lessons with the use of
technology and group presentations. Every student interviewed felt very comfortable with Mr.
El Moncef and rated him as someone they could talk to within the school. It was apparent that
the teachings were effective to keep everyone engaged and presented equal opportunities for
students to volunteer answers. Students were able to sit where they wanted.
2. The Math (male) teachers classroom was very traditional and had the room separated by females
and males. We observed a Math B classroom, which was close to Calculus. The teacher was
having the same student, a female; go to the board whenever a question was being asked. The
class wasnt totally engaged and it seemed that both females and males were having side
conversations.
3. The Physical Science (female) teacher modeled characteristics of a modern classroom. She
would give wait time for students to respond to her questions, called on different students for
answers and to go to the board. Although, females and males were on separate sides in the
classroom, all students were very responsive to the teachers questions.
My Moroccan classroom observations are followed up by my comparison to our Algebra 1 classroom,
which models a similar issue, not specifically females and males receiving equal opportunity, but with
students being separated by skill and ability.
For Example: Students in the Algebra 1 Honors class were not academically prepared.
Consequently, many Algebra I Honors classes were not operating with their true coursework.
We saw too many students struggling in this setup, and felt the need to make a change.
We felt that all Ithaca High School 9th graders should have the opportunity to experience
Algebra 1 at the honors level. With this new setup, all students would be put in the same Algebra
1 class and given the opportunity to take it at an honors level.
Soon after, we saw a cultural shift across 9th grade classes. We saw honors students stepping up
as group leaders, and students who were challenged by the subject matter finding a voice and
getting less overwhelmed by behavior problems.
Students need to feel supported in both cases, but if students are separated by gender, skill or ability, the
unrepresented group will be affected negatively. According to the World Bank girls education yields
some of the highest returns of all development investments, yielding both private and social benefits that
accrue to individuals, families and society at large In fact, the rural areas are facing a more difficult
situation with limited educational and sanitation facilities.
When discussing the importance of families and careers with the students it seemed both sides felt very
supported by their families. Neither females nor males mentioned their parents did not value their
education. In fact, it was just the opposite, one female student mentioned that her parents were very
supportive of her decision of not wanting to get married at an early age and become a doctor. A male
student shared that his mother wanted him to teach her English and talk to her regularly in English. I
found this particularly interesting because the website www.moroccoworldnews.com published an
article, while I was in Morocco, claiming 85% of Moroccans think that English should be Moroccos
first foreign language, while only 14% believed that French should retain its current importance.

Additionally, I would like to think the type of school doesnt determine if females and males receive an
equal opportunity to succeed, and its the teacher who closes the gender gap. Unfortunately, in public
schools I noticed more inconsistencies between teaching styles. During a visit to the teachers lounge at
Larbi Doghmi High School, I had a conversation with a teacher and talked about our Professional
Learning Communities (PLCs). I shared how our Algebra 1 team at Ithaca High School met weekly to
review lessons and best teaching practices. In response, the teacher told me they had no time in their
schedules to meet with each other. While school faculty meeting dont typically happen, we did get a
chance to go to a Temara School District English teachers meeting.
We were told most teachers at Larbi Doghmi High School are not progressive and vastly traditional. As
a public school the students seem to be engaged with a 98% attendance rate. Though, student tardiness
is an issue and Larbi Doghmi High School does not have a strong grasp on how to solve the problem.
When comparing private schools, people believe students are receiving a better education than public
schools because private schools have more local control and capacity to spend tuition money on
infrastructure and instructional delivery. While in Rabat we had an opportunity to visit private schools;
I did notice classrooms with more technology, appealing classroom settings, engaging teachers, and
students who traveled two hours to attend classes
Overall, I believe Morocco is making the necessary changes to place the learner at the heart of the
system of education and training and refocus the learning on basic skills, to encourage the development
of pupils, stated by the Emergency Program from 2009 2012. The country is aware of the changes and
notices the differences between public and private schools. The female students are becoming more
interested in furthering their education, which in return is keeping them from staying at home and
eliminating inequality within the classroom. I believe educators need to be aware of their biases in the
classrooms and be given the opportunity to watch some of the progressive teachers in their community.
As the world is changing the underprivileged students should be given the opportunity within the
classroom to see the globalized world through quality education, cultural exchanges, exposure to other
cultures, and language skills. With more investment and commitment from the government, Morocco's
future generations will continue to enhance their leadership potential and job skills.