At first, I struggled to understand how our class related to what I was doing when volunteering at the IPS Newcomer Program. I did not interact with any Chinese students, nor did we have discussions about faith or Islam. When I stepped back to reflect on the semester, I think that the relationship is much broader – it has to do with culture overall.
My biggest takeaway from this experience was the general difficulty of the experience for everyone. Teachers to me seemed overworked and under-supported. There were times when there were not enough working dry erase markers in math. In art, the teacher told me that she used to use her own extra money to provide materials the kids would need, but is unable to do that anymore with inflation rising. As a result, we had to use materials very sparingly. The kids were only allowed a few pumps of paint, or one piece of paper for an assignment. This made it a much bigger deal when they messed up or did something wrong, which is where frustration came in from the teacher.
The situation is no easier for the students. They are in a new country, a new environment, and a new culture. They did not necessarily understand the cultural norms that go on here in America. They would sometimes do things like stand up in the middle of class, talk over the teacher, or ask questions during an exam that were essentially asking for the answer.
Perhaps the most difficult piece of the Newcomer Program is the interaction between students and teachers. I learned that we take language for granted when it comes to education. These teachers are for the most part raised in the United States, and some of them have outside experiences with what other schools are like where the kids speak the same language. One of the teachers told me she had requested to take a Spanish class to better interact with the students – but there was not enough funding. This can cause some frustration. What I learned is that every class is an English class at the Newcomer Program. Not only was I helping kids with math or art, I was helping them with English.
While nothing related directly to China or Islam, the experience related to culture. While we are so comfortable in our own cultural norms, I learned so many things that these kids do every day that I think we should adopt for ourselves. They were so much less competitive in class, and so much more helpful – which was heartwarming to watch. I learned that each culture has its differences, but they are all valuable in different ways. This experience allowed me to immerse myself in the intersection of cultures and I got to learn what makes them unique.