Valuing Similarities and Differences
by Rachael Jacobs
Over this past semester I had an internship with Catholic Charities teaching English to refugees. For this blog post I have decided to talk about the part of my experience that was both the most rewarding and the most challenging. About halfway through the semester, as I wrote one of my journal reflections about my time at work so far, I thought that my biggest accomplishment was, both at that time and what I thought would continue to be, watching the academic growth of my students. I could not have been more wrong. While being able to watch my students become more fluent was rewarding, it was nowhere near as rewarding as noticing the differences in the way my students looked at me day to day. It was nowhere near as rewarding as picking up on the ways in which our conversations about life outside of class evolved day to day. It can be hard for me to make connections like this with people within my own comfort zone, let alone those from another culture and language. But the barrier that I thought would be ever-present between us got knocked down after the first day. That is what was so rewarding for me: not only being able to impact their lives outside of class time, but the ways in which they impacted my life as well. The largest lesson that I learned from this was how similar we all really are. All of us want to be loved and accepted, no matter where we come from, the color of our skin, or what language we speak. This is not to disregard the differences that exist, however – those are just as important. It is through these differences that we are able to learn more about the world and the ultimate experience that everyone both shares and holds uniquely at the same time. In this way I was successful and in this way my experience was the most memorable.
As an Elementary Education and Theatre major, my internship at Catholic Charities proved to be a unique and profound experience. I served as an Education intern through the Outreach and Education program and was in charge of planning and leading English classes held and two different community centers two days of the week, as well as providing in-home tutoring one day of the week. Because my courses are focused on child and teenager education, I have not had the opportunity to work with and teach adults. This internship was able to provide me with this experience that came with its perks and challenges. At first, I felt hesitant and unsure, as I did not know how to approach this age group and alter my lesson plans to fit a more mature audience. After the first few lessons and getting to know my students better, I was able to see what learning preferences this group had and how willing they were to learn and try new approaches. I now feel more comfortable and confident teaching all age groups, as well as in myself as a teacher. Since I had so much freedom to create a curriculum and had not finished my Education major yet, I originally felt as if I was doing everything wrong. I quickly realized how much knowledge I had acquired throughout my classes and other teaching experiences and that I do not need my license in order to help and make an impact on a community of people. I am so thankful for my bosses and students for allowing me to experiment with this learning journey and being open to all of my ideas.
My name is Rachel Koehler, and I am a senior at Butler University studying International Studies and French. I have had the privilege of working with the Center for Interfaith Cooperation for the fall semester, and it has encouraged me to further consider a career in faith and social justice. This past semester I have been able to interact with Indianapolis’s diverse faith community in numerous ways from board retreats to podcast recordings and community events. The CIC’s board consists of 38 members with various faith perspectives, and I wanted to further explore the stories that each of these members brings to the CIC. These different backgrounds enrich the mission of the CIC, so I thought it was important to record them and make them available to the public. Also, to attract a younger audience to the CIC, I thought podcasts would be a great medium to use, since more and more people are starting to listen to them. My goal is to have the podcast available by the beginning of next semester. I have already interviewed several members and will continue to do so next spring. Each interview has given me a new perspective, so I am hoping it will do the same for any listener. Please look out for it on Apple, Spotify, or www.centerforinterfaithcooperation.org. I am still deciding on what title I want, but I am leaning towards “An Ear to Interfaith” or “The Dynamics of Interfaith.”
