A tale of sadness at the American School of Marrakech

Teachers.....one of our most valuable commodities.  And wonderful teachers ......oh my, those are treasures, indeed.  Yes, every once in a while parents are fortunate enough to come across a teacher who not only instills in their child the great desire to learn, but also fills their days with magic.  This year, the blogging girl's little daughter, Skylar, had been lucky enough to have one of those, a certain Ms. Clare Ducker at the American School of Marrakech.

Now Ms. Clare was not made like ordinary teachers.....oh no.  She had something extra special about her.  The kind of specialness where every child in her classroom shrieked with pleasure when she walked through the door.  The kind of specialness where the very most fun exercises had children clamoring for more spelling, more reading and more math (imagine that!).  The kind of specialness where only the most fanciful  art projects would do (and were recounted in breathless detail at home) . 

Parents somehow felt that Ms. Clare not only wanted the children in her class to excel, but that she cared deeply for them -- each and every one.  And in return, the children could do nothing.... but love her back.

Sadly, so sadly, Ms. Clare Ducker's contract at the American School of Marrakech -- at the very last minute -- was not renewed.  Parents wrung their hands and worried.  Surely, surely, there was some mistake! A typo....or a computer glitch......or a wrong folder in a wrong file.... But their letters to the school went unanswered.  (It seems that good manners are in very short supply these days.)  When little Skylar heard that her darling Ms. Clare might not be returning to the school next year, she put her head down in her arms and wept.  Nothing -- not even a chocolate cupcake and a new kitten -- made her feel the slightest bit better.

And so it is.... a sad and puzzling tale written from an olive grove in Marrakech in the middle of the night.  Let us hope that happier tales are to come.... 

(And as for you, dear  Ms. Clare, should you happen to stumble upon this blog, please know that you may be gone from the school but you will not be forgotten.....Oh no, never forgotten...)

Comments

[Pethra på Inredningsbloggen]

Yes, that is sad. I have been very fortunate with the teachers my children have as well. They are so important, so very important.

[Lyna Wan]

To let go of such a teacher is so sad. It's hard to find teacher that can communicate well with children nowadays.

[Lyna Wan]

To let go of such a teacher is so sad. It's hard to find teacher that can communicate well with children nowadays.

[Rhys Lewyn]

Perhaps Clare is well out of the mess the American School is in. Type in American School Marrakech and in Wikipedia you'll find an entry called Controversy under the Discussion tab? I feel for your daughter and ll the poor children who may suffer if some solution isn't found.

[Marie Louise]

Oh - I'm so sorry for your daughter. It is hard to find a teacher that really has that connection with kids. Not to discount all the hard working teachers out there - but especially when the kids are so young, there is something magical that goes on between a teacher and those innocent, eager, open minds. I am sure there are other wonderful teachers in store for your daughter. As always kids just need a little time to accept change.
Best wishes!

[LAVENDERHILL]

This is so sad & its so hard to find good teachers anyplace. I see on the Internet the school is advertising for a new headmaster come June, so that may have something to do with the situation. Hopefully you will report a good outcome from this event.

[Elizabeth schmid]

It was such fun subbing for Clare in November when she was coordinating the Arts in Marrakesh Festival.
I'm know the children missed Clare horribly - but they were very sweet to me!

[Gillian]

We share a name! Clare with no "i". She MUST be great!!! Oh let us know if any petition will help. Prayers. Good teachers are worth their weight in pure GOLD.
Olivia's teacher is that kind of teacher this year. We love her! We give her spa treatments!!!!
I'll keep miss. Clare in my thoughts for a contract renewal :)
Warmly,
Gillian Clare!!!

[Mallika]

Oh this is sad. Its very rarely that one comes across such teachers . I do hope she comes back. Hug Skylar from me :)

[Britt-Arnhild]

Skylar will have some very good memories from her year with the best teacher. Take good care of those.

[hammocks]

there is little influence like that of an amazing teacher...I still remember some of mine. maybe she will move on to influence another set of children who may need her desperately.

[Yoli]

My heart breaks for Skylar and her other students. Good teachers are hard to come by. I hope another one comes in that will keep the flame alive.

[Insider]

The sad thing about this is that Clare's contract wasn't renewed because she didn't do a good job. Earlier this year she was pitched by the headmaster to become Head of Kindergarten next year. And the kids absolutely adore her.

But like the ex chairman of the board, and the current headmaster, Clare was punished for trying to speak up about some of the problems of the school. The school is not registered with the Ministry of Education so it basically doesn't exist in Morocco, most of the teachers don't have legal contracts, salaries are disgracefully low and the school hasn't ever paid its taxes! As an article in L'Economiste already stated, the tax authorities are coming after the American schools in Morocco. Casablanca and Rabat have already been hit with a 75.000.000 DH fine. Marrakech is likely next.

There is so much wrong with the school, it's not even normal. Every time someone wants to fix the problems they are kicked out, like the Ex-Chairman of the Board Sumnor Miller, like the headmaster Josh Shoemake, and now a great teacher!

But lets see if this school is still standing next year, the Moroccan Tax authorities are said to be coming after the school. If hit with a bill like the Casablanca and Rabat schools, it will be either over for the school or parents will have to pick up the tab.

Parents would do better to look towards the opening of the new George Washington Academy in 2009. At least they do their business straight.

[hele]

Oh..that is so sad. A good teacher should be treated like a goddess.

[Zoe Krylova]

i'm sorry to hear this news. my daughter's teacher, on her own accord, decided not to return next year. my daughter goes to a waldorf school, so has the same teacher for grades 1-8. but this time, a new teacher will come in for 5-8. the news made us all very sad. but since it was the teacher's decision, we are excited for her to walk a new path. in the mean time, we can only hope & hope that the next teacher is just as sweet, smart, imaginative and great-with-children. i hope that your new teacher equals the one departing.

[Kathy here again]

Good teachers can make such a profound impact on their students. I'm sure Skylar will never forget her wonderful teacher.

[susanna]

Ohhhh, she sounds like a wonderful person and a well-loved teacher. Under similar circumstances, a lesser teacher would teach the kiddies to kick the shins of the administrators next Fall.

[Annie]

What an awful thing to happen. It is so hard to find a teacher like her. I only had one growing up. One out of many. Sending big hugs.

[Hakona]

Your daughter will not have the same teacher (Miss Claire) next year, even if Miss Clare is still at the ASM! Will-she? So, after all, Claire is going to be out of your daughter's class room anyway! I understand your concern, but one should listen to both parties before judging anyone. You heard Miss Claire, did you hear the reason of not renewing her contract from the ASM administration? And I am certain that this has to stay a personal info anyway. When she was hired, you were not there to influence that decision!!!!Think about it....

[maryam in marrakesh]

This is not the place to bash the American School, and that is not the intention of this blog entry. Insider, please keep that in mind. The school has its problems but it is my hope that these problems will be addressed. I believe that the school can right the wrongs. Clare's situation is a good place to start.

And Hakona, please understand that this entry is a tribute to a teacher whom we love. That is my right. And I am not so selfish as to think of my child alone but of the kindergarten as a whole. And of course, I would be most happy to hear the other side, but my correspondence (and those of the other parents) has not been answered.

[Hakona]

Well, hiring and firing of the ASM should stay out of reach for all the parents! This is an internal business and it should remain so.

No-one in the administration should feel obliged to justify the hiring or firing of the teachers or any other employees. Maybe that is why your letters have not been answered yet!

You are hiring contractors and you know that they are not good enough. The same contractors will make new business with other people because those people will hear just what the contrator has to say. If they had your insight before, maybe they would not hire them.

This is to say, again, that without hearing the two sides of the story, one should hold off on posting something on a respectfull blog and on trying to make someone look bad, just because the BG loves the teacher.

Emotions take us away sometimes, but we should go back to reason!

Sorry for pushing this a little further. Life goes on....

P.S. I do not even know Miss./Mrs. Claire and I have nothing against her.

[maryam in marrakesh]

Hakona,
My intention with this blog entry was not to stir up a hornet's nest about the school -- it was merely to point out that a teacher's contract - very peculiarly - had not been renewed. Insider's comment above regarding Clare, if true, is disappointing to say the least. However, I still believe that this is a situation that can be righted. I am holding out hope that the school will reconsider its decision (if it has, indeed, taken a firm decision) regarding Clare. it would be a pity to see such a wonderful teacher leave the school, particularly if it seems to be for reasons other than academic performance. Perhaps the school administration made mistakes. Perhaps Clare made mistakes. Perhaps both made mistakes. But the bottom line is that Clare is a truly gifted teacher from whom the children benefit enormously, and she is an asset to the school. Could things not be sorted out through increased dialogue?

Do try to remember that, as parents, we have a vested interest in the school succeeding; our children are there, after all. So please don't scold me for caring what happens to the school. There is no reason for ASM not to be a wonderful place for our children - it has so many positive attributes. However, it seems that there are problems that need to be addressed, and it is natural that parents and others are concerned. Yesterday, 2,432 people read this blog - and I am sure that there are interested parents in that group.

And for someone who appears to feel so passionately about this issue, I am surprised that you put in a false email with your comment. Is it not possible for you to defend your position as yourself?

Maryam

[Insider]

Dear Meryam,

Im happy you posted this blog. It is a matter that needs to be addressed. My intention was never to bash the school, but to reveal the truth about Ms. Ducker's situation. It's the truth of this matter that makes an impact. Speaking the truth doesn't necessarily mean bashing. I care very much for the school's success. But when things like this happen and I receive first hand information from what I consider a valuable source about the reasons behind their decision, I feel eager to speak on it.

I want a great place for my children to go to as well, and I always figured ASM would be a great place. But after speaking to so many people involved with the school, I'm just shocked at what's going on. Especially for the kids who all speak so lovely about their Ms.Clare.

It is not beneficial to the future of our children in Morocco to allow such abuse of power to continue. Especially after you read how horrible the state of education is in Morocco according to the World Bank's latest report 'The Road Not Travelled'. I included a piece from it below:

"The World Bank has recently launched its 399 pages long report The Road Not Travelled on Education Reform in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Morocco figured among the last in the classification of 14 Arab countries; Morocco contended itself with number 11 after its neighbour Algeria which was placed 8th, whereas Jordan, Kuwait and Tunisia ranked first respectively. (As to the UNESCO’s report, Morocco is ranked 111 out of 126 studied countries). Morocco’s expenditure on education did not exceed 6.3 percent of GDP (in 2003), while Gaza and West Bank’s, for example, reached 11.5. "

If a war struck place like Palestine can score better than Morocco with all its foreign investment, something is seriously wrong!

[Di Overton]

Such a shame. Teachers have such a huge influence on children and good ones are so hard to find.

[Paz]

So sorry to read about this situation. It's very hard for everyone involved. I hope things work out well eventually.

Paz