Democracy Inside—and Outside—an Egyptian Classroom

An anti-government protester flashes a victory sign in Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Egypt, on Feb. 11, 2011, after President Hosni Mubarak resigned his post after three decades of authoritarian rule.

—Hussein Malla/AP-File

As Egypt is once again roiled by conflict and regime change, Adam Herzig shares memories of teaching in a school near Cairo during the nation's 2011 revolution. The students' names in his Commentary are pseudonyms.

Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011, was a national holiday in Egypt, but for the 5th graders in my class there, it was less a celebration of National Police Day, which commemorated the deaths of 50 Egyptian police officers in 1952 in a standoff with British soldiers, than simply a day off. Even though a group of revolutionary youths had called for protests that day against President Hosni Mubarak and his regime, nothing too out of the ordinary was expected.

As a new teacher at the American International School in Egypt, I was a tad nervous, since I didn't know what to expect. I went to Tahrir Square and was blown away by what I found—so many passionate speakers with voices that I was sure would go unheard.

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