From The Classroom: Proficiency Presentations 2

The second presentation in my Proficiency class dealt with the relations between parents in children in Morocco and how they have changed drastically as of late.

The basic argument was that in the past the relationships were very strong: younger children listened to their parents and adult children took good care of their aging parents, but that has changed substantially in the past few decades.

The presentation was given by a male-female duo, but it was obviously driven by the man. He spoke most forcefully, citing Koranic verses that required children to take care of their parents and submit to their will. He also emphasized the traditional model of the family in which women stayed at home and there were no kindergartens or nursing homes because the woman always was able to take care of the young and the old of the family.

In contrast, today Moroccan children are wilder and more rebellious as a result of their education outside of the home at an earlier age. Furthermore, adults push their parents away into nursing homes, breaking up the extended family living structure that dominated Moroccan family life for centuries.

The two students cited a couple of main reasons for this decline: the lack of religion and Western influence. A growing selfishness reflected a turn away from Koranic precepts and an imitation of Western culture.


In the question and answer period, they were both pressed hard on their claims. I asked if they thought that all the other Moroccans in the room were awful children, as they had indicated in their presentation. They said that no one was perfect and that, despite the best intentions, all participated in this general shift in society.

Another asked if kindergartens were always bad. The male student replied that nothing can replace the mother and that there are no good kindergartens that safely keep the chidlren.

At that point, the female presenter chimed in: "I am for working women. And some kindergartens are safe. I went to one when I was younger and I turned out ok."

Another student asked for possible solutions, and the presenters asserted, "Religion can help. It was the solution in the past and can be now too."

The oldest member of our class, a college professor, told the story of his parents and how unhappy they were in their arranged marriage. He concluded by cautioning against a nostalgia for some ideal past that never existed.