Terry Simpson
Associate Professor of Secondary Education
Maryville College, Maryville, TN
Host: Saudi Ministry of Education, Curriculum Division, Saudi Arabia
Field: Education
Grant Dates: March 15, 2002 - March 31, 2002

My assigned task was to work with the Ministry of Education in Saudi Arabia on reform of their elementary and secondary curricula. When I arrived in Saudi Arabia, I discovered that my task was much larger than presenting specific workshops to the officials in the Ministry of Education. I was to open a line of communication between the Saudi Ministry of Education and the American academic community. Everyone at the Embassy seemed surprised that the Saudi Ministry of Education was looking to the United States for ideas on curriculum reform. Consequently, my interpretation of this task took on the analogy of "building a bridge". My bridge was to link the people of Saudi Arabia with the people of the United States.

I decided to share my background of growing up in the Southern Appalachians in rural eastern Tennessee. My religious background resonated with several individuals in the Ministry of Education, and the first connection was made. We began to find those similarities as human beings rather than focus on the differences that divide us. Many individuals, especially Abdullah Al-Badri and Abdulilah Musharraf went out of their way to make my stay pleasant. I will forever be grateful for their hospitality.

I was able to visit an intermediate and high school and talk with students in the English classes. Many of them asked questions about the United States, and I was able to share personal information about my life as a teacher. At Riyadh Teachers College I met with a group of English Language student teachers. The professor left and allowed me to spend an entire session with them. Abdulilah took an afternoon and drove me to his home farming village about 50 miles south of Riyadh. However, the most interesting experience took place on Friday evening before my departure on Sunday morning when Abdullah drove me to a favorite spot in the desert. Soon three of his friends came, and we spent several hours discussing Islam and Christianity. The conversation continued as they treated me to a traditional Saudi meal at a local restaurant. It was an intense discussion but a time of enlightenment for everyone involved.

Identifying the professor and students on a Fulbright experience is often hard to determine. This is my second Fulbright assignment, and in both instances I felt more like the student. Maybe one must become a learner before attempting the role of professor. In my first visit to the Middle East and Saudi Arabia, I was the learner.

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