OCTOBER 2023

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EDUCATION continued from page 24 justice, and lifelong learning, according to a January article in the Chaldean News. “By God’s grace and with the community’s support, we hope to offer Pre-K thru 8th grade Chaldean Catholic education very soon,” said Fr. Pierre Konja in the same article. In our own right, Chaldeans have had a profound mark on Michigan’s education system. Members of our community have become teachers and administrators, and some have started their own educational ventures to add to Michigan’s trove of schooling. The Chaldean community in Detroit, following similar diaspora communities in the United States, has made attempts to incorporate its native language directly into the public or private school system. In Oakland County Schools, where many Chaldean students attend, a Sureth language exam is being introduced. If a student passes the exam, they can get high-school credit for knowing a second language, making it easier for recently migrated Chaldean students to succeed in graduating. At the University of Detroit Mercy, there is a full-blown Aramaic course that students can take for credit. Mahir Awrahem, a teacher who is active in the movement to restore and revive the dying language, instructs this official college course as well as other, unofficial courses, including some hosted by the Chaldean Cultural Center. St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church also holds its own classes to teach Sureth to those in Detroit who were not taught at home. Shamasha Khairy Foumia and Lina Yaldo developed a curriculum intended for younger children, but it can also be used as an introductory course for people of all ages who want to learn the language, according to Michael Antoon, who helps lead the program at St. Thomas. Chaldeans have contributed as much to the traditional education infrastructure as they have to a parallel one they created. Many Chaldean teachers are employed by public and private schools in our community. In many of these schools, Chaldeans dominate the student population and have a heavy influence on their school’s culture. Crystal Jabiro Around the state of Michigan, universities, high schools, and even middle schools have loosely affiliated Chaldean American Student Association groups, better recognized by its acronym CASA. Crystal Jabiro is an educator at West Bloomfield Schools. She tries to incorporate what she sees as Chaldean values, such as charity, kindness, and empathy, in the school. In addition, Crystal started the firstever CASA for middle school, bringing Chaldean culture to a variety of students at a younger age. In her U.S. history classes, where it’s relevant, Crystal teaches about immigration and acculturation. “I point out all the things that Chaldean people own here in West Bloomfield and metro Detroit,” she said. In her ancient history class, she teaches about Mesopotamia and has her students make their very own clay tablets. At Marian High School, a top private school for young women in and around Bloomfield Hills, the group has a significant influence on the rest of its school. Teachers and faculty estimate that Chaldeans comprise 30% of the student population. Claudine Denha Tella, who has taught at Marian for more than 15 years and leads the CASA group, offered her insights into the Chaldean influence at the school. According to her, Chaldeans bring a lot of culture and life to the school. Since she began her work there, the number of Chaldean students rose gradually from a few students in her first year to where it is now. A lot of the change is attributed to Chaldean enrollment in feeder schools as well as the congregation factor – where Chaldeans are, others tend to follow. The students and Claudine have influenced the school in many ways. Chaldeans are well-known for their prevalence in serving in school masses. Claudine Denha Tella Above: Michael Antoon’s Chaldean class in elementary school. Left: Marian High School CASA with Claudine Denha. In the spring, Marian put on a Chaldean Mass which helped show different traditions of Catholicism to its students. “If you have no Chaldeans here,” Claudine said, “there’s no Baghiya, no Mediterranean bar, among other things.” Claudine is referring to an instance when a group of Chaldean students taught some of their teachers how to dance Baghiya. Claudine got married last year and invited some of her fellow teachers to the occasion. Those teachers implored Chaldean students to teach them the dances and other cultural traditions, like what to wear, that would be good to know for the wedding. In the past, according to Claudine, students from other minority backgrounds, like African American students or Mexican immigrants, have found a home at CASA among the Chaldeans. “Chaldeans serve as a welcoming place for other minorities,” Claudine said. Claudine also tries hard to educate her peers on Chaldeans so they can be culturally informed and know how to handle certain situations. She gave a presentation last year, with the help of the Chaldean Community Foundation, to members of Marian’s faculty. According to her, the presentation was well attended, and the school gained a lot from it. Stories like these are common, with Chaldean teachers around the state exposing others to our heritage. Without Chaldeans, education in Michigan would look very different, and many schools would lose a significant aspect of our culture. 26 CHALDEAN NEWS OCTOBER 2023
CHALDEAN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION Educational programs Registration now open! Please call for an appointment. All Nationalities Welcome! ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE GED (HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY DEGREE) Provides individuals English instruction at basic/beginner and intermediate/ advanced levels Small group instruction for individuals working towards their GED Sept. 11, 2023-Jan. 26, 2024 Sept. 11, 2023-Jan. 26, 2024 LITTLE SCHOLARS PRESCHOOL Prepares children for kindergarten through a variety of emergent literacy, early learning and development opportunities CITIZENSHIP PREPARATION Offers instruction and training for successful completion of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Naturalization interview Sept. 11, 2023 – June 28, 2024 Oct. 3, 2023 – Dec. 14, 2023 We can’t wait to see you! Want to learn more? Please contact Rachel Rose at Rachel.rose@chaldeanfoundation.org or call (586) 722-7253 3601 15 Mile Rd., Sterling Heights, MI 48310 OCTOBER 2023 CHALDEAN NEWS 27
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OCTOBER 2023

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