Sway sway

Sway sway in Arabic means slowly slowly. While sway sway would describe the whole Arabic philosophy, nothing ever happens quickly up here. I have been slowly getting my secondary teacher to think about differing teaching styles and strategies. We have moved on from the lecture format to getting the boys to move around the classroom, eg bring their wheelie chairs to the front on the lab for group teaching and moving back for individual work. I have tried using a carpet for group work. But to be honest the lads are a tad old to be sitting on a carpet learning. They may well sit on a carpet to eat and smoke and talk at home, but sit on a carpet to learn is well outside the realms of possible.
However after a few conversations he agreed to getting some round group tables just like my girls school, and he is not adverse to using them. On Sunday I modeled a lesson, for a teaching strategy and co-incidently I included group work at the tables, which went down quite well. Now bless my cotton socks my primary guy wants some tables too.
When I first met Mr Omar the principal of the boys school, he told me Ali the secondary teacher was a Bin Laden look alike and he's not wrong. Ali's beard is still black, but the day I notice it changing white or grey I'm out of here! Mr Omar also joked with me when he told this and followed it up with " Do not be disturbed by the bullet holes in the wall. Its only a strategy to keep the boys in line", referring to the likeness to Bin laden. Ali really is a very small gentle Bin Laden look alike as you can see. Note also most of the Grade 10 boys are Emirate and wear the kandora, or dish dasha the traditional long " gown" and the guthra the headdress. the boy in the foreground is Muslim but possibly not Emirate.