Princeton HS Teens Tutor Egyptian Children, Bond Over Culture

PRINCETON, NJ — Last fall, Andrea Dinan, Princeton Public School’s director of service learning and experiential programs, was looking for volunteer projects for students.

She came across a post on an Arabic studies listserv, looking for English teachers to help Egyptian students with reading.

Dinan thought this project would be perfect for Princeton High School (PHS) students to undertake during the pandemic.

“I reached out to the teacher, Islam Allosh, directly,” said Dinan. She soon learned that there would be around 900 students from the Diwan School in Bani Serif, near Cairo, who wanted to learn English.

She took the idea to her students on the board of the Ideas Center, who helped organize fellow volunteers.

Allosh then virtually met with Dinan’s student group “to create an “Activity Club” program that allowed the Egyptian students to choose a club meeting each Friday.”

The Friday Activity Club is assigned to a handful of PHS students who help develop weekly curricula or who lead sessions and sometimes both.

Fifty-three Princeton students participate in the Friday Club. They help Egyptian students learn English and in turn end up learning about a different culture.

Violeta Gonzalez-Toro, grade 12 PHS, remembers clearly when she met her group of students for the first time.

“One of the most memorable instances was when students said that their favorite foods were hotdogs and hamburgers, as if to impress us by liking American foods,” she said.

She thought it was “cute” and said students loved seeing snow outside her window.

One of the biggest cultural differences Jimmy Weinstein noticed, was the holidays.

Weinstein learnt that although Egyptians celebrate Christmas, it is not as big a holiday as it is in the US.

“They have multiple Independence Days so we were able to make a connection between the two cultures. They had never heard of Halloween so they were very interested in learning about it,” said Weinstein, grade 11.

Of course, tutoring a group of children from across the globe also comes with a set of different challenges.

For Ashley Chen, grade 10, the biggest challenge was “creating a personal and unique bond.”

“Working with first-graders, it’s already hard to get their attention and retain it,” she said. But over the weeks, she’s managed to create a bond with each of them.

“With each kid I’ve created a super personal bond... I’ve found myself beaming with pride when they successfully make a craft and show it off or when they answer our questions and get excited about what they are learning,” she said.

Eleni Staikos said it was the initial awkward silences that was difficult to overcome.

In the beginning, it was tough to get students to interact and build a relationship over video calls, said Molly Sikma. “It’s hard to build relationships that would come much more naturally if we were talking face-to-face,” she said.

But thanks to the icebreaker activities, students were soon comfortable. “This helped us create an environment where students turn their camera on to show us and the other students what they’re doing, and ask questions and share fun facts they’re learning,” said Sikma.

Despite the differences, they also found common ground.

PHS students said they were initially unsure of referencing Disney movies or toys. But it all changed during a singalong.

"As soon as 'Let it Go' played, everyone started shouting and singing and getting so excited,” said Chen.

“From then on we started talking about Elsa and Anna and all their favorite songs and realized that as different as our cultures were, there are some things like Olaf that we all have a common love for.”

The experience has left many appreciative of their own teachers’ efforts during virtual learning.

"I’ve always valued turning my camera on during class, but this experience with reversing the roles and being the teacher to a Zoom class has made me even more adamant about turning my camera on for my own teachers when I’m at school,” said Audrey Peel, grade 11.

Through this project, Blaise Stone realized how important human interaction is.

“With months of being isolated and having such few contacts, it is difficult to maintain relationships and social skills. Having the chance to form bonds with these children has been very eye opening as I remembered the simple pleasures that come from just talking and interacting with others,” said the 11th grader.

The project will run through the end of February.

“During these tough times this (project) has just been a reminder to appreciate the little things and to take advantage of all the opportunities that come my way,” said Stone.

Thank you for reading. Have a correction or news tip? Email sarah.salvadore@patch.com

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