The Science Garden
Mohga Hafez, English language teacher, ELI
In 1979, I was asked to teach a group of senior AUC staff members who were leaving to the US for training -
sponsored by the USAID program. I had just completed my MA TEFL degree, and was still a relatively
inexperienced teacher, at that point. In addition, I was six months pregnant with my third child, and was not
very sure that I could make it through the semester before delivering. But, it was a challenge, and I decided
to do my best. It was a two-hour listening and reading course, and we were assigned to one of the labs, but
because of my condition, I was allowed to remain for the second reading hour in the lab rather than move to
another classroom. The group of 12 staff members were highly motivated, hard-working, and of course
much older than myself. They were the group I will always fondly remember as one of the dearest to my
heart. However, as the course progressed, whenever we finished the lab-hour, I found it physically very
difficult to move between the rows, as I was accustomed to doing with my reading classes.
One very considerate student came
up with the wonderful idea that we
should continue class, after the
listening lab-hour, in the science
building garden. The garden was
beautiful, and it was not
uncommon then to see classes
sitting in a circle with their teacher,
enjoying the beauty of the lush
green lawn and the fresh, still
unpolluted, warm winter sun.
Tahrir square was far less
populated and quieter, and so were
AUC's Fountain area and gardens.
The Science garden was our haven.
We enjoyed every minute of that
hour and developed a very congenial teacher student relationship. I think this was a crucial factor in the 12
students' making excellent progress and passing the course. For many years, whenever we met, they would
repeatedly refer to this course very fondly, and particularly to the wonderful time we spent in the science
garden.
To me I still cherish the memory. I would always jokingly remind my son, who later became an AUCian and a
biology major, and whose classes overlooked this garden, that this was the place where he had his first
reading lessons before coming into the world.
