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Iraqi Air Force 101: First they must read English

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Paul Dean
  • 407th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs
ALI BASE, Iraq (AFPN) --  Nothing would seem out of place if the room were inside an American schoolhouse. The classroom has posters with picture clues describing nouns. The tables have books, pens, paper and lesson books on them, and students take notes while talking amongst themselves and laughing occasionally.

There is nothing uncommon about English as a second language class, but there is a unique reason English classes are held here. Iraqi Airmen are required to take the course so they can read and understand U.S. Air Force technical orders outlining operation and maintenance of three C-130 Hercules the U.S. gave to the Iraqi Air Force.

Iraqi Air Force leaders decided several months ago that aircraft technical orders would not be translated into Arabic, which meant operators and maintainers would have to be taught English -- from scratch in most cases. The task of teaching English to the almost 500-person strong Iraqi Air Force went to the Defense Language Institute.

Beverly Hall is part of a four-person DLI mobile training team here teaching Iraqi Airmen assigned to Squadron 23.

Teaching English to non-English speaking students has never been so important, Mrs. Hall said.

“These guys are building a democracy, and I get to be here to watch it grow,” she said.

This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, said Mrs. Hall, who has been teaching English here since May.

A common interest in the future of Iraq and the importance of learning to read and write in English has created unique bonds between the teacher and her 15 students.

“Teacher, hello teacher,” the students call out frequently in the partitioned tent used as a classroom. The calls are often questions about how their answer differs from that in the book. Many times answers given by the students are better than the book answer, and above the grade level of the lesson.

At such times, they give Mrs. Hall a knowing smile.

“No schmoozing,” she responds.

The motivation behind the learning here is different from any Mrs. Hall said she has ever experienced, and one she does not think could ever be duplicated.

“Adult students in general are more self-motivated,” she said. “But these guys, well they don’t need me to motivate them at all. They know what the motivation is -- they have to build a country.”

Mrs. Hall has to be on her game every day. Mrs. Hall said if she is not, the students tell her, “Come on teacher, come on. We have to learn, we have to get into this, we need to know this English today.”

Not only do the students push Mrs. Hall to keep the learning on track, they help each other. A student will jump in at the slightest hint of a stumbling block when a fellow student is reading out loud. Then follows a student-instigated huddle afterward with discussing switching back and forth Arabic and English, making sure everybody understands. Their huddle ends when three or four of them say the word out loud to validate group understanding. They then cue Mrs. Hall that she can go on.

Mrs. Hall said it has been this way from the beginning. Each of the Iraqi students truly wants all of the others to do their best.

Mrs. Hall started her teaching career 22 years ago in Arizona. Five years later she was looking for a part-time job to stay busy while her husband was at work. She was already teaching full time for the Department of Defense Dependents Schools system, but took on another job as a part-time English instructor for Misawa, Japan, where Mr. Hall was stationed. Along the way, Mrs. Hall has taught in DOD, public and private schools.

The decision to sign on for a second term here was made after Mrs. Hall told her husband how important she thinks this opportunity is. Things that are happening here are different than what most Americans see on television or read about in the paper and magazines, she told her husband. Both agreed that this is where she needs to be right now.

“For a teacher who taught history and government to be here and watch history in the making is really fascinating,” she said.

Mrs. Hall downplays her contribution and said all of the accolades should go to her students for their courage.

“They know about our country and the founding fathers. I remind them that they are going to be in [the Iraqi] history books one day,” she said. “(Their) grandchildren are going to read about (them) building (their) country the same way our founding fathers did.”