This is the story of Miss Kern which I am writing it because many peoples I think not know what happen to her in my country and she was my teacher English which I like her very much. In English I am writing very difficult because my head always he talk with the Arabic or sometimes with the French but I must to practice my English because next year I must to study her in University and perhaps one day Miss Kern, she read this and see that I have learn very much in only one year.
Miss Kern come to my village last year and all the students want to be in her class because never before has been the woman teacher American in our school. I have the luck because I go to English class first day and Miss Kern come in. She is the very pretty girl, her hair is very long and the colour yellow and she not wear something on head like the girls must to wear. When she come in many students, the bad boys, make noisy and say bad words with the Arabic. But Miss Kern like she is not listening, she smile and begin the lesson.
So in this year I was in the form seventh, it is my last year in lycee and before it I have two years in English but they are very bad, I not learn many things because in my first year in the form fifth my teacher was the lazy man and make the joke with students and never work and in my second year my teacher leave after the holiday and not come back and there isn't the other teacher. So I know that with Miss Kern I must to work very hard for succeeding in my examen so I can go to University.
In the beginning when Miss Kern come to my school students are very curiouse, they want to know is she good teacher? is she marry? Why she come to our country? and so we listen close when she talk, we think that perhaps she say us something important, and sometimes I listen very hard until I think my ears are red but still I not understand nothing. Always the students say "slowly, slowly Miss" and always she talk very fast and the accent American it is very difficult. Miss Kern come to our class she is thinking that we have learn the English for two years but she not know that we have the very bad teachers. In my opinion this is the beginning of problems of Miss Kern, we not understand her, and she not know students of the form seventh, we are upset because if we not succeed in examen of baccalaureat we cannot go to University, it is impossible, so we must to learn very good.
After one month Miss Kern is still talking very fast and students are angry, they not listen and they are not learning the English.
We cannot talk to her because we not speak good the English and so me and tow students are talking to another teacher English which we know him and asking him to talk with Miss Kern. After this time there is change, now Miss Kern talk slowly and her hair is up on top of her head now, not down and her clothes is the colour dark and she not smile always in class like in the beginning but now I think that Miss Kern is not happy and she not like to teaching our class.
One day a thing happen in English class very interesting I am remembering it because perhaps is important in problem of Miss Kern. In our class is one girl, her name Zoubida, she is the very modern girl in our school. Her sister is a teacher English and because this, Zoubida is very good student in English and many times Miss Kern tell her to talk in class because no other students not know the answer. For telling this I must to explain a thing about young people in the country muslim, in the school only the boys and the girls are talking together because the girls not go to the cinema, to the coffee, to the garden public. So in the school the boys and girls must to talk if they fell the love for each other, and sometimes they are playing games and laughing in the school. In English class is the girl Zoubida which I tell you about her, there is a boy who like her very much and one day he give her letter, in it is something very funny and Zoubida begin to laugh in class and she cannot stop. Miss Kern not see the letter, she not understand and she think perhaps Zoubida laugh at her and she tell Zoubida that she must to shut up. Again she tell her and Zoubida is laughing, and Miss Kern say if she not stop she must to leave from the class. Miss Kern write something on the blackboard and again Zoubida is laughing and so Miss Kern go to her and telling her to leave. Zoubida is the strong girl, she say no, she not leave. All the students are quiet now and I look very close at Miss Kern her heart is bumping very hard and her hands moving very small. Nothing happen. Zoubida not leave and Miss Kern begin to teach but she is very upset, she not want to teach.
After class I look back in the room and she is crying in her desk. After this time the bad boys always want to make the problem for Miss Kern because she is not the strong teacher.
After this day never again Miss Kern look happy in English class and the students, they are not working, and sometimes they sleep, sometimes they make their homework for the other classes. Only students which are good in the English, they are working. In this time it is the autumn and the cold weather begin. In my school are some classrooms in them the stove which burn wood and one day very cold we have English class in the classroom where the fire is burning in the stove but in this stove there is problem, smoke come out in the room, not up the chimney. After little time there is clouds in the room like is going to rain and our eyes make water like crying and some students are coughing. One student put up his hand and say "Miss" and point to stove. He is the bad student, he cannot tell his problem in English! Miss Kern open the door and the windows and the cloud go outside. Now another student behind of the room, he is a boy which make problem for Miss Kern, he say "Miss, it is very cold!" because the windows and door are open. Miss Kern close the windows and the clouds come back and some students begin to coughing and pointing to the windows, and Miss Kern open the windows. Girls begin to talk and say "It is very cold inside!" Now everyone is talking and they begin to fight and Miss Kern is only standing, she not know what she must to do. But on this day she do a thing never she do it before.
She become very angry. She is shouting at students. Now everyone is quiet. Miss Kern is red in her face and she walk in front of class and say many things very loud. Unfortuneatly we are not understand nothing because again she is talking very fast and no one want to say "slowly, slowly." After this day when students are not working Miss Kern shout to make quiet but it is not end of problem because they think is funny, and always they make the problem for her.
So this is the life for Miss Kern in the beginning of her one year and when people are talking about her always they say "meskina," this is the word Arabic which we say it about the poor man or the man which something bad happen to him because everyone know Miss Kern is not happy in our country and everyone have his idea about what needs Miss Kern but like always when everybody talk nobody not know. I think that Miss Kern want the friends because she live only one in her house and she live in the quartier Arab, not in the quartier French where are peoples from Europe but Miss Kern, like she not want the friends from Europe, she not speak with the French and she want to live with the people muslim and try to speaking the Arabic. Another thing, Miss Kern say it one day when she is angry that she is not like the teachers Europe which are getting lot of money for teaching and living in big houses, she is "volunteer" which come to my country for helping the peoples.
Now is the time at the end of the trimestre first and we have holiday for tow weeks. On the last day the students not want to work and so we ask Miss Kern can she bring cassette to school for singing the song, because the music American it is very good and she bring the cassette of Dolie Parten, she is the singer country music very famous in America. All the students are very happy because we see the singer Dolie Parten one time on television.
Miss Kern teach the song "Coat of Many Colours," it is the very pretty song in it is the little girl very poor like the peoples in my country which her mother make for her the coat with rags and also is Joseph from the Bible, which we know him because he is in the Koran, his name "Yusef." On this day everyone is very happy, also Miss Kern, and we ask her to singing the song again and again and she sing very pretty like Dolie Parten. After the class everyone go to her for shaking her hand and saying "Happy Holiday" and "Good New Year" and many students say to her "Miss you are the good teacher" and "You are the very teacher in our school" because they want to singing the song in English class. But in realite they say the lie, because Miss Kern is not the good teacher, she is very nice but she must to be sever with the students so to respecting her.
In time of holiday I think that Miss Kern go to America for visiting her family because the teachers stranges always go to his country in holiday but I am surprise one day I see Miss Kern in the village, for buying something and I say to her "Good Morning Miss!" and she say "Good afternoon!" and I know I do the mistake because it is not morning. And in this time I think that Miss Kern is very alone because is not school, and I invite her to my house for eating. In the beginning her head say no, but then she say yes she come and for this I am very happy. The tomorrow Miss Kern come to my house and is Friday, the day for eating cous-cous and we have the big meal. Everyone in my family like very much Miss Kern and my sisters want putting their hands on her hair because never they see the hair colour yellow, only in the magazine. We are very surprise because she speak a little the Arabic and never before this time my family see the stranger man which speak with the Arabic. In my house Miss Kern learn eating cous-cous with her hands and everyone is very happy and we are laughing many times, and in the end we say her "marhaba, marhaba" in the Arabic "you are welcome" because we want that she come again to our house.
After school begin in trimestre second and this is the time very important for students of the form seventh, because in the trimestre third which it begin in the spring we are not returning to school because we must to study for succeeding in examen of baccalaureat in month of Mai so in this time the students are very serieaux and because all these things I think that Miss Kern not have the problems like before but unfortuneatly is the same, the bads students always not working and the bad boys want that Miss Kern be angry and they are laughing. Of course Miss Kern is again not happy.
One day an other thing happen in English class to me, on the day January 24th, always I am remembering this day because Miss Kern ask to me "Please write the date on the blackboard." On this day Miss Kern is teaching new text and first she teach to us the new words which are in the text and then she read the text.
In this text is the sentence "Her sisters were dying to go to the ball." and so Miss Kern make the sentences with the word of "dying." This word is very easy because also in the Arabic we say it for example "I am dying with hungry" and "they are dying to go to the cinema" and so many students put up their hands and tell sentences. Miss Kern look at me and say "Mr Kuttabi" which is my name of family and I say my sentence "Miss, we are dying for English." She like this sentence very much and she is laughing and also everybody and she say to me "Very good." In this moment I am looking at her and she is smiling and suddenly I know that I am fall in love with Miss Kern and I think that perhaps she is fall in love with me because she look at me again and again but she not want that she look at me and always I am looking at her.
After this moment my life is very different because the love, he is stronger than the man and I know that I loving Miss Kern is impossible but I can not stop and in the night I am dreaming that we go to the forest and she give me some kisses. In this time I am like the crazy man, I think only about Miss Kern and I walk in front of her house so perhaps I see her. One day it was the day of the souq, which is the market every week and I was in the souq and I see Miss Kern she is buying vegetables and fruits and so I wait until she is finish and she have big basket very heavy and I go to her and say "Miss Kern I can bring your basket to your house." In this moment I am like flying because I am very happy. After I think about the words we say again and again until I conserve them like "dialogue" in lessons of English and this is what we say:
I: It is a very nice day. The sun is shining.
Miss Kern: Yes, it is.
I: You like the life in the village?
Miss Kern: Yes, its very nice.
I: How you like it?
Miss Kern: The people are friendly and the climat is good and their is time for everything.
I: You like teaching in my school?
Miss Kern: Sometimes. When the students want to learn I like to teach.
I: You must to be very sever with students. The students are very bad, they are not like the students in America.
Miss Kern: I am a teacher, not a policeman. The students must be responsable.
After she say this I talk to her with the Arabic because I want to explain her good the problem of classroom but she say I am a student I must to speak English with her. So then we not talk, but sometimes we are smiling. Then we come to her house and she live in the upstairs and I can help her with bringing the vegetables but she say no, she can bring it upstairs.
In the school I see Miss Kern everyday in English class and now I am the good student I work very hard and never make the problem for Miss Kern but the class is always the same, on some days students are tired and no problems and on some days they make the noise.
Always Miss Kern is the same she never smile and when students make the noise she say "Shut up." After the class everyday I have questions about lesson for asking Miss Kern, I go to her desk and say "what means this word?" or "how I can say this in English" and in this time she is not like in the class, she is smiling and she want that I understand very good and sometimes when she know what means a word in the Arabic she traduce the word but in the class never she is speaking the Arabic. So in this time everyday I am very happy when I talk with Miss Kern for three minutes or four minutes and the other time I think about talking with Miss Kern and this is the love for the crazy man.
Now is the time in the middle of trimestre second and everyone is tired, the teachers and the students. I am going every day for talking with Miss Kern but in some days I have not the question and I must to find an other thing for telling her. One day it was Thursday on this day we have English class in the afternoon after the maths class and on this day we have big examen in maths very difficult and students are very upset because they are not finish the examen. In the end everyone must to stop when we hear the bell and the teacher maths go out and Miss Kern come in but the students are very noisy because we must to talk about the examen.
Miss Kern is writing the exercises of English on the blackboard and then she look at us and say very loud "shut up" and now we are quiet but when she is looking again at the blackboard everyone begin to talk. Now she look again at us and she is angry, she say "you are like animals" and this is big mistake for Miss Kern because now when she is looking again at the blackboard the bad boys are doing the noise of animals for example the monkey, the cow, the donkey. Suddenly Miss Kern stop. She walk to her desk and say "I am not teaching this class" and she sit down and looking at us like are knifes in her eyes. Now everyone is quiet and for one hour we are sitting in this way, no one is talking and Miss Kern is very upset.
After this day again students are better but Miss Kern is not better, she become angry very fast and now no one like the English class, only me because still I am in love with Miss Kern and still everyday I am talking with her after the class and she look very tired, she is sitting down in her desk and often before she is not sitting in the class. I ask to her "You are ill?" and she say "No I am fine." but I look close to her and I see in her eyes the colour yellow and I know this is maladie very serious, I have one uncle which has dead from this maladie. Next day I look again and her eyes are very yellow than yesterday and so I say to her that she must to go to the doctor. In our village is the doctor but he is not the good man, peoples say for joking that he have only "medicen red", it is the medicen for the little boy which fall and the man which cut his hand with the knife. I say to Miss Kern that she must to go to the capital to see the doctor for Americans but she say "No I can not leave my work." So I take Miss Kern to the house of the doctor in the village.
When the doctor see Miss Kern he know very fast what is her maladie but the thing he not know is: what must he do? because he give her the paper for many medicens at the pharmacien so I go with Miss Kern to the pharmacien and she buy the medicens. But I know these medicens from house of my uncle, still they are in boxes because he is died before he finish with eating them! So now I have the problem that I not want saying Miss Kern that medicens are not good because she afraid but if I not tell her perhaps she dead, the God prevent it, and I say to her again she must to see doctor for Americans.
After this day Miss Kern come to school tow more days but next week she not come and an other teacher say to me that she have the "excuse Medicale." In this week the day is like the night for me because I can not see Miss Kern only I can dream on her like in the night. So on Wednesday I not go to school after lunch and I go to her house and nock on the door but no answer. So I open the door and it is open, I say "Miss Kern" and she say "yes" very quiet in an other room. I go to her and she is on the bed, very yellow and she is looking very bad. I say "Miss, you must to see doctor for Americans" and she say "yes" and give me the paper on it is number of telephone in the capital. She ask me to calling this number. So I go to the Post Office and here I am waiting one our, two hours because the telephone is very bad and in this time always I am thinking about Miss Kern and afraid that she die, the God prevent it. In the end I am talking with a man in English very difficult for me but I tell him problem of Miss Kern and he say the car come for bringing her.
After I go again to home of Miss Kern and I am sitting with her because the road to capital in it is three hours. In this time we are talking, sometimes with English, sometimes with the Arabic and it is the time very great for me, always I am remembering this time. Miss Kern say to me some words very beautiful and I have my hand on her hand and sometimes she is sleeping.
In the evening a car come, I know that this car is from Embassade because on it are the license colour orange which is only from Embassade and in the car tow peoples they are very nice and speak very fast like all the peoples Americans. They bring Miss Kern to the car and she go with them and after this moment I not see her never again. In the summer a man come, he is teacher American like Miss Kern and he take all the things in her house but he is not saying news about Miss Kern and is difficult for me because still I am thinking about her and I not know, is she died, is she well again, is she go to America? And because this I write this story of Miss Kern and perhaps she see it or someone which know her see it and send to me the letter, "in sha allah" which we say it in the Arabic it mean "If the God want" we are saying it always in the future because we not know what want the God but if the thing he not want it, is impossible.