SAT Prep Course Master at Schutz

Ms. Linda Scura on Achievement and Individuality
By Moustafa Barakat

Linda Ann Scura was invited on February 27th to prep students from grade ten to grade twelve for the SAT. Her course is tough and intense, but the results are rather impressive. Ms. Scura has gone to countries all over the world; she has even been to the Cairo American College. She has also been to China, Malaysia, Morocco, and even Mexico.
With a perfect score in all the SAT tests, she clearly has seen a light. Ms. Scura says that the SAT is not a test about intelligence; it is just a number ranging form 200 to 800. But since there is nothing else other than the SAT that measures a person’s aptitude, it is important to value the test as it is the only way to have equal chance of evaluation upon applying to college.
Ms. Scura has two sons who got accepted to their dream college, but they did not quite achieve their potential on the SAT. Linda has improved many schools’ SAT average; for example she raised a score for a student from 1390 to a perfect score of 2400. This is the first year for Schutz to implement such a course, and hopefully it will continue for the next years.
Ms. Scura has examined the SAT thoroughly, and she might have a different perspective than you or your teachers. She sees patterns in the SAT. The SAT consists of three sections: Critical Reading, Math, and Writing, and she saw that in every one of these sections the same kind of questions come on each test.

In the writing section, she explained that the Dirty Dozen rule regarding grammar usage is everything you need to know to get a good score in the writing section. In the Math section, she says that the entire Math that comes on the SAT is basically grade nine Math, but the wording of the question is the difficult part. For international students, Ms. Scura said, “the Reading section of the SAT is the most challenging section for all international students.” The Critical Reading section of the SAT consists of long intensive passages with complex words and questions regarding sentence completion.
You might be surprised to hear this, but Linda did not take any SAT courses or even majored in Math or English. She simply recognized the patterns. Linda Scura has some advice that she would like to give to all students all over the world. First of all, she says, “You have to read to succeed,” and she would like to encourage parents to develop a reading style for their kids. Secondly, Linda wants everyone to know that the SAT is a sum of numbers whereas individuality and motivation are truly the important ways to judge students.

Teaching English and PE: What a Workout!

By Marina Guirguis

Since the end of the first semester, David Parker has taken charge of the athletic department due to Mindi Dryer’s resignation from Schutz, cutting her contract short. Originally coming to Schutz in August 2006 as an ESL (English Second Language) teacher in the Elementary Department, David Parker now jumps back and forth between the two positions.
Mr. Parker originally went into school training in agricultural commercial affairs, and he worked as self-employed valuing farm land. When in Cambridge University in London, he took a ten-week course that qualified him to teach English as a Second Language.
David Parker was enlisted in the New Zealand Army, and he was trained in Australia. He jokes, saying his physical education students may have figured that part out by now due to his intense fitness program. If anything he wishes to change about the school, he would like to see his students be more fit and get rid of junk food which drags them down.
His favorite aspect of the school is seeing the progress of the students, mainly those of his ESL class. Most of these students often come into the course at a no-English level finishing the year speaking fluently. “It’s quite a thrill,” David Parker expresses referring to the joy of knowing he has changed a student’s life by teaching him/her to speak the international language.
Prior to moving to Egypt, he lived in Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. He most recently worked in Japan in an English language school while his wife, Sue, was teaching in the Tohuku International School in Sendai, Japan. He loves Alexandria for the climate and the beautiful days when the sea looks spectacular with magnificent waves and a cool breeze.
He and his wife, Sue, the second grade teacher, have enjoyed their stay here, but all good things must come to an end. This June, David Parker’s contract will come to terms, and the couple will be leaving. What is next for David Parker? Well, he shared thoughts of possibly moving to China, carrying on what he and his wife do best.

Daddy’s Little Girl Lives Diversity to the Fullest

By Aya Kordy

Her name is Linda Forde-Green. She is from Trinidad in the West Indies where she grew up and went to school. She calls it “a place that was dropped out of heaven, just a beautiful tropical island.” She majored in Science at Mercy College. She was a curious child she explained, a child that always wanted to know how things work and what makes them work that way. She has also been "daddy's little girl". She says that her father is the one who made her the person she is today.
After she graduated from High School at the age of 16, she moved to New York City where she got her B.Sc. in Biology. Linda Forde-Green loves animals especially panthers, tigers, and lions which are all exotic cats. Asking her about her only son Donavan was very touching. She describes him by saying that, “He is the joy of my life, a vibrant yet funny child, full of energy and has a great sense of humor.”
Linda Forde-Green comes from a very large family. She has ten siblings. They are a family that is totally diverse in their beliefs, yet they are still very loving to one another. They are seven girls and three boys. Two girls are Muslims, one boy and three girls are Christians, two boys and two girls are Hindus. Miss Linda makes this diversity sound natural by adding, “If you have a heart, it conquers everything”.
The most thing Miss Linda will miss in Egypt by far is the black and white deserts. She added that just looking at the desert makes her know that there truly is a God. As for the people she will most miss at Schutz, she insisted that it is the workers.
Miss Linda enjoys every step of life since every stage has its own memories and joy. "I enjoyed life to the fullest. I do feel truly blessed!", she added. Miss Linda has got no regrets in life; she learned from each mistake and placed it in her box of memories.

Gaza Stripped

By Laila Afifi
Special to The 83rd

Did you watch the African Cup of Nations? Remember the match Egypt played against Sudan on the 25th of January, when Abutreika scored that amazing goal? Do you also remember him lifting his shirt? Remember getting curious about what the second shirt said? Do you remember finally reading the slogan: “Sympathize with Gaza”? Not knowing what he meant, did you run to the internet to find out, or did your curiosity just die?
While the majority (if not all) Egyptians were celebrating their wins in the African Cup, its neighboring country was facing a crisis. Nine days prior to the Egyptians’ victory, Israel had begun air raids on Gaza City killing over forty people within six days. The Palestinian militia retaliated with rockets. Four days into the constant firing, the Israeli army blockaded the border of Gaza; nothing went in, nothing came out. Immediately, Gaza went black as the power was cut off. Hospitals did not have medical supplies, and people walked around the streets with candles. Pressured by the Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Israel sent supplies that lasted 24 hours. 1.5 million Gazans were trapped in a ticking time bomb, desperate for the basic necessities to survive. When in desperation, one may make irrational decisions. On the 22nd of January, the wall bordering Gaza and Egypt was torn down. Two days later, the city of Al-Arish was flooded with over 50,000 Palestinians buying supplies and food to take back to Gaza.
Now back to the 25th of January. While Egypt was playing Sudan, Abutreika scored a goal, lifted his shirt to reveal a “Sympathize with Gaza” slogan, and then received a yellow card. That very same day thousands of protesters showed up on the University of Cairo’s grounds to support Palestine and hundreds of students had a silent demonstration on the Corniche in Alexandria.
After the match, Abutreika was verbally hammered about his position on the situation in Gaza. How could Abutreika take the side of the Palestinians? Perhaps it is not a matter of taking sides. We may find ourselves following our government’s stance, torn between our obligations to a previous peace treaty and our obligations to humanity. After all, what does it mean to support the Palestinians, or the Israelis? Upon what criteria will we base our decisions? If we claim it is a humanitarian cause, we will disrespect our past promises. If we choose to support the legal and sovereign nation, we will disrespect our obligations to humanity.
Although it is not always a matter of black and white, we must learn to recognize situations in which humanitarian relief is necessary. Abu Treika’s political showdown attracted the media, and many photos were taken. Everyone was in awe of this awareness campaign happening before their very eyes in no other than a soccer stadium. The internet was overflowing with his picture, yet three days later not one could be found. Questions arose about the reasons why the pictures were removed. This may be related to the reason Egypt was compelled to once again re-seal its border with Gaza. It may be the same reason there was an unsuccessful emergency Security Council meeting discussing the issue in Gaza (opposed by Israel and vetoed by the US). When a Danish cartoonist’s actions were supported by claims of freedom of speech, the very same people who supported this freedom restricted it when it was not in their favor.
Now where are we, Schutz students? Where are we in the midst of all this? We may be wrapped up in our protective little bubble, where our biggest worries are an “F” on an exam or whether a teacher likes us or not. Why don’t we fit in this political scheme? We should want to initiate change, want to take sides. We are indifferent to the idea that Abu Treika’s infamous pictures were removed from the Internet and about the situation in Gaza that we choose to ignore, but how can we change the world tomorrow if we do not know what it is today?

Preventing Misconduct or Punishing it?

By Suraj Baadkar

Lack of discipline is identified as one of the most serious problems faced by educational institutions all over the world. Many educators, parents and students are concerned with this issue and with its eventual influence on the learning process of individual students. About a couple of decades ago according to the 1987 Harvard Letter, the annual average suspension rate in schools around United States was two million per annum. Problems such as intimidation, smoking, cheating, etc., which result in countless classroom and school disruptions, have increased the number of suspensions to new higher levels. Repeated observations and studies have shown that half of the instructional time in the classroom is lost to other minor issues like misbehavior and conversing in languages other than the language of instruction amongst the peers.
All of the instances of misbehavior and other disruptions are due to low awareness amongst the students about disciplinary issues. In order to inculcate morals and etiquette in students, the awareness on such issues should be given at the elementary level of education. Through continuous routine practice, students become aware of the 'to do and not to do' in school environment.
Schutz has always used learning experiences at the very early grade levels to teach students discipline. Nevertheless, as the students grow some of the human characters such as rationality, egoistic behavior and pride grow along with them. They also develop curiosity to try new things and try to expose themselves to things above their age. Recently Schutz has faced some disciplinary issues which appear to be growing instead of decreasing.
Some of these current happenings raise a very important question, "Is discipline concerned with preventing misconduct or punishing it?" It can go both ways. It is described as enforcing classroom rules in order to minimize disruptions. Punishments to enforce these rules are not always the appropriate measure as many students may start to think in a vengeful manner and cause trouble intentionally. Therefore, solutions to such situations would be talks at different levels with individuals and their parents, followed by warning and suspension thereafter.
In order for an educational system to work efficiently and provide best service, both the staff and the students need to work co-operatively for the very simple cause of education. Students need to realize that a disruption to the disciplinary environment of the school worsens their own situation and future opportunities. The teachers should enforce classroom rules which do not allow students to disturb the flow of instruction. They should also not overlook little mischief which then will become a habit to students. This is how to create an environment of positive learning. Misbehavior can be reduced and controlled through spreading awareness amongst the students about the importance of discipline and etiquette on campus and inside the classroom.

The American Presidential Elections 2008

Why Schutz Students Would Vote for Obama

By Ibrahim Fathelbab

The United States 2008 presidential election campaign began on November 4, 2007.

This election is also the 56th consecutive quadrennial election for president and vice-president of the United States. This presidential election agenda coincides with the 2008 Senate elections, House of Representatives elections, and gubernatorial elections as well as many state and local elections. Under article two of the United States Constitution, as amended by the twelfth amendment of the Unites States Constitution, an electoral college will elect the president.
When the Campaign started, some candidates were leading the pack: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee, and John McCain.

The American presidential elections have always been very controversial for people in the Middle East. A cange in American political orientation will have its impact on the region.

The two figures of Clinton and Obama seem to be the most attractive to students at Schutz. When asked, Schutz students reported that they would like to see Barack Obama win because they feel that Hillary Clinton is running only to try and prove that she will make a better president than her husband. As to what they think of the election so far, the students said that the election has become very competitive and that the outcome will leave its mark on U.S. history forever.
Concerning the outcome of the elections, some students felt that if Barack was to win, racial discrimination and racism will decrease. On the other hand, some students felt that if Hillary was to win, women’s rights would increase and sexism would decrease.
Up until now, Hillary Clinton seems to have the most votes in the election as well as in her party committee. Though Hillary is beating her party member, Barack Obama, by 74 votes, it seems as though Barack will not put up without a fight.

Scholastic Aptitude Test or Socially Diminishing Quest?

By Moustafa Barakat

Over the past few years, controversial issues arose about the so-called Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT). Some Scholars believe that it is time to abandon the test, while others believe it is vital for student assessment evaluation. Charles Murray, a social scholar, feels that the SAT is inefficient in determining a person’s aptitude. He said, “The SAT is not perfect and it sometimes is fallacious.” The SAT was created by the College Board; it required intense precision and accuracy to be exact with determining a person’s aptitude. But was it worthwhile?
The SAT exam changed about three years ago. Some scholars believe that the new SAT favored girls more than boys. Girls are scientifically known to be better than boys at fixing grammar and constructing essays. With the addition of the Writing section, which includes an essay, the exam has been unfairly set for the benefit of girls. The SAT has caused another more serious issue; it is the gap between the high scorers and the low scorers.
Perhaps the first question that you will be asked in college is, “How well did you do in the SAT?” This not only creates intimidating situations, but it becomes a way of judgment and separation. The high scorers will probably make their own group while the low scorers will create another congregation.
Despite the fact that the SAT may have caused social issues in this sense, about 80 percent of the educators still give great feedbacks on the test’s precision and accuracy.
The SAT is taken by almost all of the American High School students and a majority of international students worldwide. It could cause disappointments or happiness to students. Educators believe that the percent error of the SAT is less than three percent, which is quite good compared to most of the other aptitude tests such as the ACT and the TOEFL.