Learning to Read

So I am not only trying to read but I am learning to think about letters in a completely different way. I have to think about what sound the letters make and memorize the letters according to their sound. I’m sure that I learned how to read the first time like that, but it was so long ago that it’s something that I now do unconsciously. I haven’t really thought about the sounds that letters make for a long time. Any way So I asked my tutor to teach me how to read... that was humbling, exciting and overwhelming all at the same time.

There are two Alphabets that are used in the part of Morocco that I live standard Arabic and Tashelight. Tashelight is not used as much but it is really cool, and I can’t resist that chance to learn it with native speakers. The Arabic alphabet is a little different, it’s really cool too but, very overwhelming. Written Arabic is standard Arabic or Fus-Ha. Darjia is only used for talking and therefore hardly ever written down. Fus-Ha is not really anything like Darija, sometimes when I ask a question in class my kids will answer me in Fus-Ha and I have no idea what they just said. So not only will I have to learn the Alphabet and the Phonics, but I will have to learn a whole other language. I think that I am up to the challenge ... I am I have great teachers all around me that are more than willing to help, and I’m a teacher... I can’t walk around being illiterate for two years....what kind of example does that set.