ASC Provides Life-Changing Trip
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Author: Aramco ExPats
Released 2 July 2006
Jean Dickerson
Photograph Contributed by Jean Dickerson
In December 2005, a teacher from Mississippi was chosen to go to Saudi Arabia with the Institute of International Education through funding by Saudi Aramco. She had no idea at the time, that this two week trip would change her perceptions fundamentally.
Jean Dickerson, a high school teacher at Gulfport High School in Gulfport, MS, learned of the trip on a November evening like any other. She was waiting in a line at Walmart when she spotted her school district’s Social Studies Supervisor. They began talking and the Supervisor informed her of an email about the trip from the MS Department of Education Social Studies Supervisor. As Jean had always been interested in traveling and learning about other cultures, within the hour she was home and “googling” the Saudi Aramco’s Educators Trip.
Although Jean had always enjoyed traveling, having traveled through Europe for 22+ months after high school, her enthusiasm for the trip to Saudi Arabia was motivated by another factor. She was interested in participating in this particular kind of trip starting after September 2001. Following the tragic events of 9/11, one of her students and their family endured ridicule because of their Islamic faith and cultural background. After 9/11 she and her family were ostracized and yet, they endured with dignity and grace and earned the admiration of many in Jean’s community. It was because of this experience that she became interested in the Islamic religion specifically, and since she knew very little, she made it her goal to learn as much as she could. In the spring of 2004, she found an ad in the National Council of Social Studies magazine about a two week institute on the Islamic culture and religion. She applied and was chosen to attend the Dar Al Islam Institute in Abiquiu, New Mexico.
Art Gallery Entrance of Darat Safeya Binzag-Jeddah
Photograph Contributed by Jean Dickerson
Jean’s attendance of this program and other similar programs, led her to believe that she was free of most stereotypes about the Saudis. Upon arriving in Saudi Arabia, however, Jean realized that she held some stereotypes that she didn’t know existed. “I am ashamed to say that the stereotypes that surfaced of Saudi Arabians and the KSA sounded like a laundry list of generalizations – predominantly, a society rich from the oil industry, intolerant of westerners, anti progress, human rights issues, camels, Bedouins, and I think my generalizations were a little less severe than the average American. Fortunately, I was able to realize what was happening and I could counter those incorrect associations with positive events that dispelled the stereotypes I inadvertently held. With the time I spent meeting, talking, and listening to both students and adults, the stereotypes I unintentionally harbored quickly faded into a realization that was repeated again and again. The Saudis are a kind, generous, and devout people, and, a society that is misunderstood.”
The transformation that occurred during Jean’s trip led her to realize that many other Americans may need a great deal more knowledge about the country in order to dispel the kinds of generalizations she held before the trip.
Falconer at the Janadriyah Festival
Photograph Contributed by Jean Dickerson
In order to promote this kind of understanding, she developed a website, www.saudiarabiasojourn.com. She says, “This website is dedicated to help build bridges of tolerance between our two noble societies and cultures.” The website includes a tutorial of Islam and of Saudi Arabian History. It also includes a photo gallery and teacher resources so that other teachers like herself may be able to educate their students more accurately about Saudi Arabia. The three most important concepts that she wishes her website to encourage are tolerance, an open mind, and accuracy of objective information.
Jean wishes to go on many similar trips in the future, hopefully accompanied by her husband Steve, as they have not traveled together past the Greek Islands. On her next trip, she hopes to ride a camel.
FAL Resort in Jeddah
Photograph Contributed by Jean Dickerson
In the meantime, she is keeping busy as an Advanced Placement Fellow at the University of Georgia. In addition to her website, she will also continue giving PowerPoint presentations to community service groups like Kiwanis, Rotary, and church groups. For teachers, she will train the Gulfport School District Staff of 500+ teachers about the Saudi culture and the Islamic religion – district social studies teachers will receive more in-depth training so they can implement units of study on Saudi Arabia in their classroom. On October 28, 2006, she will be presenting to the Southern Institute of Education and Research at Tulane University. This audience will be made up of educators throughout the Gulf States from Texas to Florida – roughly 100+ educators who stress Tolerance Education in their curriculum.