Westernization at Olive Grove and Colby

My group—researching and analyzing Olive Grove Academy in Jordan—began the complex process of writing our paper and dividing up the workload. We began by choosing what each of us felt most comfortable writing about. Eventually, I settled on writing the Narrative Findings section for one of our themes, “Elite Western Identification.”

I identified that both the administration and teachers at Olive Grove play significant roles in enabling students to identify as elite under a Western lens. However, as I dove into the data and searched for quotes, I found that the teachers contribute in multiple forms to the Western identification of students. The headmaster described the demographics of teachers as 75% expatriate and 25% local. This did not stand out to me initially as the data reflected sentiments describing an international faculty with diverse backgrounds. Although I honed in on two teachers specifically, one from Japan and another from Newton, Massachusetts. The teacher from Japan described a community of teachers from America and the English language as a form of currency within the school. I was intrigued by this “community,” which I found was reinforced by data from a fairly new, teacher that represented a schooling and geological background in New England. He noted the community of young American teachers like himself to be comforting and reassuring as he became acclimated to teaching abroad. These descriptions struck me as crucial to include in “Elite Western Identification.” Although, I dug deeper and tried to translate my feelings of discomfort with the push of elite Westernization from these teachers unto my experience here at Colby.

Since I represent a similar background in schooling and location as many students as well as teachers at Colby, I had never thought deeply about the potential effects of such a demographic on those who hail from very different origins. I went to private school in Massachusetts and have frequently had conversations with professors where we are able to find a commonality based in my educational background or upbringing in New England. However, I can imagine it is uncomfortable or impossible to connect with a professor whose educational model or teaching style is based on an elite background within New England if the student does not represent that similar elite identity. I do not know how this can be addressed or remedied; however, I do know now that I will be more conscious of my identity and comfortability as a previous private school student from New England on this campus.