Ask Mahmoud

Mahmoud Ben Halim

From: Anonymous
Q: Hey, I am a student in grade 9. I studied really hard for my semester finals and did not do that well. I feel bad, and I feel that this semester will affect my college future. What should I do?
A: First of all, I would like to tell you that you should not think that way at all. The past is the past, think of the future. If you think of your past you cannot change it. I would suggest moving on. Another thing, do not be pessimistic, always be optimistic, meaning think of the good things. Thinking of why you did badly will influence or may influence how you do on future finals. One semester will not influence your college future. You are still in grade 9, think of how many more finals you will take, it is not the end of the world. Just think positive, be positive, and expect positive things to come.

From: Staff Member
Q: How do you think we should manage speaking Arabic on campus? This is becoming a great problem in and outside of class?
A: This is a hard one. Speaking from a student’s point of view, I think it is even hard for me to speak English all the time. I think you are right. The problem is there but the solution is hard since most of the students on campus are Egyptian, and they are used to speaking Arabic outside of school. I think a good way to solve this issue is to think of a way that will strongly affect the people speaking Arabic as a whole. For instance, if you have detentions this will not solve the problem; some people do not care to sit after school for an hour. They would rather do that then get points deducted from their grades. I think students in Schutz are grade-oriented, and they hate it when their grades get affected or drop at all.

I think teachers in class should warn the student who speaks Arabic then send him out after he has been warned. Sending the student out not only will limit him from learning the lesson being taught but will cost him a penalty of 5 points.This means that if he gets kicked out twice, he loses one percent of his final grade. That takes care of the issue in class. Outside of class, I have no solution since teachers can not monitor speaking Arabic. I think the teacher has the right in class but outside of class in breaks and lunch, it is the student’s choice.

From: Anonymous
Q: Hey, I like this girl for a long time but every time I approach her I think that she tries to avoid me and does not feel the same way towards me. I try to talk to her all the time but it does not work .What should I do?
A: I think you should stop chasing her for a while. Take time and think of yourself before thinking of her. Think of your character. Do you do certain things around her or around people that make you look bad? Do you chase her too much? Another thing to think about is your appearance. It might not be as important as your character, but girls care about how you look. Try to stay fit. Wear elegant clothes and have your own style. If you chase her too much it will make things worse. Girls do not like guys giving them too much attention; it ruins the fun and mystery of relationships. Just stand back, think about how you should change, and let her notice you. But do not chase her twenty four seven. That is not how it works.