If you look on a map of Morocco, Azilal is right in the middle of the country. Azilal is a center for many other small towns in the area.
The conference was a collaboration with the Peace Corp and an association called Moroccan Association of Teachers of English (MATE). The Peace Corp asked me to come to speak at the conference about my experience teaching English to Moroccan students in Rabat. The conference was a gathering of more than 50 Moroccan teachers of English in the region. Together, we talked about how to improve English teaching in the region of Azilal. Students in Azilal are taught English by Moroccan teachers, not native English teachers like me. We hoped that this conference would give us a chance to share ideas on successful ways to teach English.
So far, this conference was just the beginning of a long term solution. Moroccan students are eager to learn English, but often times, they are taught English by teachers who may not speak English very well. We want Moroccan students to receive the very best education in English, no matter where they live in Morocco. If Moroccan students live in Rabat, they have more opportunities to practice their English. But if some Moroccan students live very far away, they may never meet Americans or be able to practice with them. Fortunately, they have their Moroccan teachers. From attending this conference, we hope that these teachers learned more about successful ways to teach English.
