Turks impressed with Sleepy Eye school

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- Several dozen Turkish graduate education students toured Sleepy Eye Public School Friday and said they were impressed with what they saw.

The visit was part of the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program between Iowa State University and Bilkent University of Ankara, Turkey, the country's capital.

The Fulbright scholars visited a wide variety of classes including English, college algebra, cultural diversity, biology, chemistry, careers, geometry, health, social studies, Spanish, American government, industrial arts and agriculture.

The Turks attended a large-group presentation by school administrators and teachers regarding what the community and school offers, ate lunch, and attended small-group presentations in the Media Center, computer room and Interactive TV room.

Students were part of a homecoming pepfest and briefly watched a parade before riding back to Iowa State University.

They presented the school with a certificate recognizing its selection as an Exemplary American School District as part of the Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program 2001.

Sleepy Eye Superintendent Jay Haugen said it was an honor to be chosen for the visit. The school was chosen by Iowa State University officials after they contacted the Department of Children, Families and Learning (CFL) and were told to visit Sleepy Eye due to its achievements as a rural school district.

One of the grad students, Alca Dokuzgla, was impressed with the school itself and the number of activities available to Sleepy Eye students.

"The school seems quite good. The environment is quite nice," Dokuzgla said. "Students have many activities, the lesson was interesting and the teachers were nice."

Turkish schools do not offer nearly as many extracurricular activities for students, she said.

Dokuzgla plans to become a Turkish Literature teacher.

The students will remain in the U.S. for two more months before they return to Turkey.

Armagan Ateskan intends to become a biology teacher in Turkey. The friendliness of the school impressed her.

"It's small but it seems very friendly. I liked the chemistry lesson," Ateskan said. "Classes were a little bit crowded. It's a good advantage to have vocational and normal high school classes together."

Turkish public schools usually have classes of 30 students while private schools there average 16 students.

Neslihan Karahanli said she thought it would be wonderful to be a student and teach in America because of the different schools and class choices available.

"There are lots more elective courses here in high school. Even cosmetology or just about whatever they want," Karahanli said. "They are all practical things in life and good for all students to be able to choose from."

Turkish public school students have far less choices, she said. She was impressed with the vocational class offerings in Sleepy Eye.

Turkey is a Middle Eastern nation that lies in Europe and Asia. A developing country, more than half of its workers are farmers. The Turkish economy has become increasingly industrialized since the mid-1940s.

The country's government has introduced sweeping cultural and political reforms and discouraged or outlawed many Islamic customs.

Many people, particularly those in rural areas, have resisted the changes. Conflict over the role of Islam in Turkish life continues to divide the nation.

Cracked-wheat bread and yogurt are staples for many Turks. They also eat lots of lamb, rice and eggplant. Turkish cooks are famous for their shish kebab, which consists of lamb, tomatoes, peppers and onions cooked together on a skewer.

They also combine rice with almonds, meat, pine nuts and raisins in a dish called pilaf; enjoy borek, a flaky pastry stuffed with meat or cheese. A popular dessert is baklava, made of thin layers of pastry, honey and chopped nuts.

Favorite beverages include tea, thick coffee and a liquor called raki, made from raisins.

More than 98 percent of Turkish people are Muslims but Turkey has no state religion. It's constitution guarantees religious freedom.