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[guangho]

No, guangho is not going to Somalia. And no, he has not adopted a ghostish third-person narrative. However, I met with a lad here in London who is a Somali immigrant. He has a job, a nice home, and a wee bit of moolah to burn. His son is in grade five and he has asked me to tutor the kid and possibly the kids of other Somalis he knows.

Now the all-encompassing, generalist, neo-colonialist, ignoramus question: Has anyone worked with Somali Muslim students and their parents before? What are their expectations, general taboos and overall outlook?

[foss]

Yes, I worked briefly in a London secondary school where 5% were Somalis. I found that they were considered to be at the bottom of the pile - many times I heard dark looking Arab children from other countries hotly denying they were from Somalia. However, real attempts are being made to focus on the integration of Somalis in London schools, perhaps more than any other racial group.

Given the tragic recent history of the country, I knew not to pry into the pupils' backgrounds. At parents evenings I never saw the fathers but the mothers were committed.

Some kids had real talent in Maths and all were good oral learners of English but written expression was a problem, possibly due to a lack of traditional schooling in earlier life.

[guangho]

Thank you foss. I spoke with the guy and we'll see how things develop in a week or two.

Thanks again.

[guangho]

Are there organisations designated to helping this group- if anyone knows?