This Friday was my second time at the IPS newcomer program and I was able to experience and learn so much more. I was placed in Mr. S’s science classroom. The students were learning about the solar system and planets. The students in the first class were still in the very beginning stages of learning the English language so a lot of the time was spent working with them to make sure that they not only understand the reading they were assigned but also understand what is being asked of them. Most of the students spoke Spanish so they relied on each other to work through the homework, however, there were 2 students in the class who spoke a different language. I focused a lot of my attention on the students who did not speak Spanish because they had no companions to rely on due to the language barrier, they couldn’t even rely on each other because they had no way of verbally communicating.
I began to reflect on how non-English speakers must feel in everyday situations such as going to the grocery store, the bank, or work. I do not speak any Spanish and I felt like an outsider in the classroom because I could not understand what the students were saying. Language and communication are so important for inclusion. I realized that this classroom is probably one of the only places where the students feel empowered because they have other classmates they can rely on who understand them. I feel like this classroom creates a spirit of camaraderie for the students as they all work together to learn the language. Camaraderie and community are so important in a learning environment because they create a feeling of security that facilitates openness to learning.
During the second class period, I was able to work with older students who were more advanced English speakers. They did not need much help in understanding their homework, but they did need more practice with everyday conversation. My role was to engage the students who finished their homework in conversation. This was really fun and interesting because I was able to learn more about the students’ lives apart from school. I learned about their likes and dislikes, the country which they came from, and their families. The students were also very interested to learn about me and about Butler University. This was a nice break for the teacher who could focus more on helping out with homework where needed while I encouraged the other students to practice their English instead of resorting back to Spanish. In the beginning, the students were very shy and did not know how to approach me, however, once I showed a genuine interest in they became more and more excited. One student even wrote me a nice note! I think this experience really showed me how feeling uncomfortable can come off as looking unapproachable. Many times I find myself avoiding someone in the room who is standing off to the side because I feel like they are choosing to not interact with anyone, however many times that person is looking for a person who is more comfortable in the setting to approach them!
Overall, I think that the most important thing we can do as humans is to keep an eye out for those who might be new to a setting that we’re already comfortable in and to check in with them. It is always nice to feel included and cared about by other people!