News Article

By: CAPT. ROB MATHIS/Special to The Greeneville Sun
Source: The Greeneville Sun
04-05-2005

Editor's Note: Capt. Rob Mathis, a Tennessee Army National Guard officer assigned to Newport-based Troop E of the 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, is currently serving with the 278th Regimental Combat Team's 2nd Squadron Headquarters and Headquarters Troop in Iraq. He sent the following article, via electronic mail, to The Greeneville Sun.

Monday, March 28, was a big day for us.

Dr. Graham Leonard, Sgt. Scotty Verran, 1st Lt. Jim Elliott, and I went to Tuz to meet with some of the local math teachers and compare the teaching methods of our two cultures.

We borrowed the squadron commander's Humvee and rode along with some of the troops from first platoon, E Troop.

As we traveled, I was struck almost immediately by how green and lush the landscape had become. The warm temperatures of the last two weeks, along with the last of the moisture from the rainy season, had combined to provide conditions that are perfect for plants of many varieties to thrive. In another month or two, the dry season will be in full swing, and the temperatures will top 110 degrees daily.

Every time we passed an old IED (improvised explosive device) crater or some other depression along the side of the road, I could feel the tension rise, and then drop as we left it safely behind us.

One of our first tasks was to check on the gas station on the southern side of the town. This gas station is directly across the street from the big Tuz mosque.

We have been checking the serviceability of the pumps at the gas stations in town every day since a gas shortage a few months ago caused a lot of trouble here when the lines at the only two gas stations in town grew to be over a mile long.

Our next stop was the Tuz mayor's office. As soon as we entered the compound containing the mayor's office, we were swarmed with kids, all of whom appeared to be under the age of 10, and all boys.

The boys were all very friendly and very eager to show us how much English they could speak as well. They all rushed us at once yelling, ''Meesta! Meesta! (Mister! Mister!)'' Some recognized my rank and yelled, 'Captain! Meesta Captain!' Reciting ABCs

One little boy told me that he was in the fifth grade and commenced to reciting his ABCs for me right then and there. I was so impressed that I took out my camera and asked him to do it a second time while I filmed him. He was so eager to rattle them off that I barely got the camera started in time.

There were also several children there selling falafels (a small canoe-shaped loaf of bread slit long ways down the middle to form a pocket and which is then filled with vegetables, spices, and any kind of meat or, in this case, Iraqi hushpuppies) and a bunch of kids asking our guys for candy.

The kids and the soldiers really have bonded during our time here. Many of the children and troops know each other by name.

I met one little boy, who is in the first grade, named Ouri. He is very quiet and sweet. He stayed by me the whole time. He was like a little shadow. The other kids told me that Ouri has a little brother who has a deformed left foot.

Children Follow Troops

When we arrived at the school, there was not enough room to park all four of our Humvees along the street in front of the school due to other vehicles (which included a tractor pulling a wagon full of farming equipment) being parked there already, so the school�s headmaster asked us to leave and come back in about an hour so he could clear these vehicles out and make enough room for us.

Right before we pulled out, the kids from the mayor's office showed up. Two little boys were carrying the falafels that the men had ordered. The men gladly took the food they had ordered earlier.

We then told the boys that we had to go for now and pulled away.

We decided to go ahead and check on the second gas station, which is situated on the north side of town, while we waited for the parking spaces to be cleared. Almost as soon as we arrived, the children had again found us.

Ouri was there again, and he stuck close by me.

He asked me if I had any candy, but I had none. I surely would have brought some if I had known that we would be having this much contact with this many children. Sgt. Verran, on the other hand, had done a far better job of planning than I did. He had several bags of Jolly Ranchers hard candy. The kids loved it, and he distributed it freely.

As I was standing there, I felt a little hand take hold of mine. I looked down and saw that it was Ouri. He was smiling up at me with his big brown eyes. I instantly thought of my own children, and my heart melted. It has been so long since I�ve held the hand of one of my own children.

A few minutes later, Ouri's little brother showed up. He is the boy that the soldiers call 'Little G.' His real name is Mohammed. Ouri took me straight to his brother and introduced us to one another. I talked with the two of them and told them about my three children.

I was surprised at how well we communicated even though we didn't speak the same language. I was also surprised at how well Mohammed got around on his misshapen foot. I went back to my Humvee and started looking through my bag for something I could give the two brothers.

I found a small bag of cookies and a tear-open pack of tuna. They, of course, were glad to get the cookies. To my amazement, Mohammed really wanted the tuna.

Another boy had run home to get his school textbook so he could show me that he knew the names of all of the planets. He was very proud to show me that he knew both the Arabic and English names of each planet.

His book was well taken care of, but nearly worn out. He said that he had no pen to write with, so I gave him a mechanical pencil that I happened to have with me.

Arrival At School

We arrived at the school and found the local minister of education there to great us. Dr. Leonard started the conference off by introducing the other teachers from the unit and me to the gathering of Iraq math teachers. We stood in front of about 40 or so teachers. About a quarter of the teachers were men, and the rest were women.

I talked about the history of how American educational techniques were developed and how our methods originated in Greece and the Middle East. I told them how we try to teach our youth to 'think outside the box' and find creative ways to solve problems.

I had recently found that, even though the people of this area were among the first to develop free-thinking educational methods that encouraged innovation and independent learning by students, those techniques are no longer practiced here.

Instead, the teacher simply presents material for the students to memorize and then tests them on how well they are able to regurgitate the material back to them.

Even the best students in this type of system will rarely be able to achieve high levels of innovation and creativity.

They are great at applying the lessons they have been shown, but are lost when they find a case where these lessons do not apply. Every subject is taught in this fashion.

This is one reason why many Middle Eastern countries have fallen behind educationally, economically and technologically.

Educational Similarities

We learned that there are also a lot of similarities in the children and classrooms of our two cultures. The Iraqi teachers said that they also want smaller classes. Their average class size is 40 students.

Like many American classrooms, their classes are usually divided into three groups. About 10 percent of the students grasp the material very quickly. Another 10 percent really struggle to understand the lessons, and 80 percent are somewhere in between.

One of the teachers said, by his observation of American movies and television, that American classrooms seem to be undisciplined. I told him that the vast majority of classrooms are not like that.

I then explained to him that he should not gauge America by what he sees in our movies or television because they often take the worst aspects of our culture and exaggerate them for the sake of entertainment.

We asked the teachers if they could tell us about of some of the examples they use to teach their students. This is when one of the younger teachers spoke up and asked an unusual question.

He asked, 'Did you use math when you invaded Iraq?' I thought the question was unusual, but was unsure if he was trying to bait me so I answered him honestly. I answered, 'Yes, we used a lot of math. Our smart bombs, artillery, and tanks all used a lot of math. In fact, every weapon from the most advanced fighter to the infantry soldier on the ground uses math. And we are using more and more math all the time. Does that answer your question?'

Dr. Leonard, who speaks fluent Arabic, told me afterward that the man was, in fact, trying to 'get smart' with me. He also said that the other teachers in the room didn�t approve of his rudeness. I was glad to hear that.

Scotty then spoke about some of the techniques we use in our classrooms to make learning fun and 1st Lt. Elliott touched on the uses of computers in the classroom. Then the conference ended.

Ar first, the Iraqi teachers were very standoffish. In the beginning, the only feedback they gave was in the form of head nods and slight changes in facial expression. They started to loosen up a bit toward the end. The men were the first to give their comments. When the women in the group began to ask questions and state opinions, I took that as a good sign.

It will take several more meetings like this for us to really begin to establish a relationship with our fellow teachers here. I hope we get the chance to make that happen.

School's Schedule

After the conference was complete, the headmaster of the school invited us to his office and served us all cold soft drinks. He told us some more about his establishment.

There are two 'shifts' of classes as he called them. The first shift is for the high schoolers. It starts at 8 in the morning and finishes up at 12:30 in the afternoon. They attend six classes per day. Each class lasts 40 minutes each with five minute breaks in between.

The second shift is from 12:30 to 3 in the afternoon. It is for the middle school students and is made up of three classes of 40 minutes each.

Classes start in September and end in May. The kids have the summer off. There is a two-week break around Christmas.

There are about 400 students in the first shift and about 300 in the second. The second shift is unique because it is split between two schools, each with its own headmaster.

One school speaks Arabic, and the other speaks Kurdish. The Kurdish-speaking school has only been in existence for a year because Saddam Hussein would never allow it under his regime.

The headmaster said he is paid 200,000 dinars a month; just under $140, and the teachers far less. We told him that we had some of the same problems in American schools and hoped conditions would improve in Iraq.

Dr. Leonard, Scotty, 1st Lt. Elliott and I all enjoyed this unusual opportunity. Each of us agreed that it was great to be back in a classroom setting.

It seems that this school-visiting program is off to a promising start. I hope we are able to keep it going. I feel that it could benefit both us and the Iraqis greatly.

Photo By Sgt. Scotty Verran - Special to the Sun: Capt. Rob Mathis, kneeling at center of the photo above, poses with his arms on the shoulders of young Iraqi brothers Mohammed, left, and Ouri, right, whom he befriended recently in Iraq. Mathis, a Tennessee Army National Guard officer from Newport, described Ouri and Mohammed as 'really sweet kids.' The other Iraqi youngsters in the photo are unknown.

Story Copyright to Greeneville Sun