Attempting to avoid the revolution in their home country, seniors Karim, Lara, and junior Hana Bassily moved from Egypt to America at the beginning of the 2013 school year.
“In my country, Egypt, we have some troubles nowadays because of the revolution there,” Karim said. “I am Christian and things are hard to be there right now.”
Karim is referring to the violence towards Christians in Egypt. Many Christians have been killed and more than a hundred churches, homes, and businesses have been attacked.
However, this wasn’t the only reason why the Bassilys left. The Bassily siblings were not receiving the same education that is available here in America due to differences in the two education systems. For example, unlike America, where there are things such as projects that go into grades, almost everything is based on writing in Egypt. Even the teachers are different there.
“Teachers here [in America] help us more,” Karim said. “In my country, if you don’t understand, you are on your own. Or, there is a private lesson where the teacher collects money from the students and gives [them] the help that [they] need. In class, the teachers do nothing, they just depend on the money from the lessons.”
Like many students, Karim and his sisters need support from their teachers to be successful in the classroom. So, the Bassilys felt that the support American education could offer would help them learn better. They are receiving that support from their English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers such as Ms. Sandy Patterson and Mrs. Leslie Wolk.
“Helping him learn to function in America is part of being an ESOL teacher,” Wolk said. “That’s what we learn here. I’m here for anything the students have a concern about or need help with.”
Hana also notices the teachers’ willingness to help.
“People and teachers treat me better here,” Hana said.
Similar to all students eligible for ESOL, Karim took an entry test where he was placed on level two, the middle level. This means that he needs ESOL sheltered classes for history and other core classes. Just because a student can’t be in English-only core classes when they first arrive to America doesn’t mean that they can’t improve quickly, according to Wolk.
“I think there always is [a learning curve] no matter who the student is, but I think he adapted very easily and quickly compared to other students,” Wolk said.
Patterson, Karim’s history teacher, has already noticed some of the progression that he has managed to make.
“He is at the top of the ESOL history class and probably should be in a regular history class this semester, but that didn’t work out for scheduling,” Patterson said. “He is quick to respond [and] he has good answers,” Patterson said.
Along with violence and education issues, the Bassilys also had to deal with insecurities concerning his father’s job. Mr. Bassily was an English tour guide in Egypt. With the number of tourists falling due to the revolution, the Bassilys felt like it was the right time to move.
They decided to come to St. Louis because Karim’s uncle lives here.
“[My uncle] told us to start here because he thinks it is a good place to start,” Karim said.
The Bassilys presume that they have found the right place to start, but there are still a lot of changes that come along with moving from one country to another. Karim’s soccer coach Mr. Brian Adam noticed the obvious challenge for Karim.
“He struggled with language to a degree, but sports are international,” Adam said.
Although Karim had a fairly smooth transition into the game of soccer, there was still the challenge of dealing with the language barrier. On top of that, there are even more changes that came along with the move than some people might expect.
“I used to live in a higher class in Egypt,” Karim said. “I used to live in a villa [and] we had a couple of cars. I had a better life in Egypt. Since I moved here I am in a lower class.”
Karim is not only dealing with changes in his environment like his shift in economic status, but is facing emotional challenges as well.
“One of the biggest challenges for him was to accept the help that everyone was willing to give,” Adam said. “I don’t think he wanted to be a burden or bother anyone.”
Karim was reluctant to ask for rides to and from games. As he became more comfortable with the team, he was more willing to ask for the help.