SABIS “Training”

SABIS provides two weeks of “training” for new staff before classes begin. This mostly includes doing group work and waiting. A lot of time is spent listening to lectures describing how proper teaching should not be done entirely through lectures. After that, there are written tests regarding things such as the point system and memorization of SABIS acronyms (see SABIS terminology). There’s also a super-fun coffee break with Lebanese cookies and coffee. One of the tests includes a multiple choice question:

Why has the SABIS system been so effective even after more than 120 years? The correct answer was:

“It simply works.”

That is their justification for their system, as well as the sum of all their research and planning on the subject. This is worrisome because if this is all they’re expecting their teachers to know, you can expect that they won’t expect their students to question much:

“So why does gravity pull us down toward the earth?”

“It simply works.”

The second week of “training” involved giving the new PPP hires something to do while the MoE staff were told about the wonders of the SABIS system. For the boys’ school, this mean watching a video of a man talking all day. For the girls’ school, this meant cutting out borders and titles for display boards for the entire week.

That was the SABIS training in its entirety.

ADEC requires that all PPP staff have a B.Ed and at least three years of experience. SABIS argues that this is unnecessary because it “provides training” for its staff. The experience was nowhere near as informative or useful as a teaching degree and relevant experience, and it did not even attempt to prepare the teachers for what they might encounter in the classroom. These oversights include cultural differences, discipline problems, dealing with administration. etc. Worst of all, none of the teachers had ANY IDEA what we would be teaching until the school year had already started.