A Fine Skylark: Don't Have to Live like a Refugee

When teaching non-native English speakers, there's always the occasional laugh or awkward exchange; for instance, my students couldn't stop giggling the other night when I kept saying "sheet" (as in "worksheet") since they would instinctively pronounce a similar word with a long "e" rather than a short "i." But on Monday, I had a more sobering encounter with words.

We were practicing introductions and talking about yourself, which included a video and worksheet packet entitled "Immigrants and Refugees Tell Their Stories." The video told the story of Biba, a refugee from Bosnia now living in Chicago. When I handed out the accompanying worksheets, one student asked the meaning of "refugee." Since my class has been together for a year now, they're pretty comfortable with me and each other, and don't hesitate to speak out when they know the answer or can help another student. Before I even got the chance to begin to explain, the entire class broke out in a cacophony of Spanish, explaining what a refugee was to the one student who didn't know. He quickly got the message, and not one student asked why someone would have to refugee. They already knew.

This may not seem that remarkable, but knowing my class and some of the things I have to explain, it made quite an impression on me. There are many cognates in Spanish and English that are seemingly self-explanatory that I still have to define for them. But I was clearly not needed in this case. Biba, the woman in the video, spoke very simple English and could only describe the situation in her country by saying her home was "broken." I explained to them that this meant much more than the simple term used, and I got the nods of comprehension that every teacher longs for and many times doesn't get, not because I'm a great teacher, but, again, because they already knew.

I don't know most of my students' personal immigration/refugee stories, and it's not my job to ask. My job is to teach them the language so they can carry on their lives here as well as possible. Many times during class, tears well up in my eyes when I see someone trying their hardest or when a struggling student suddenly "gets" something. I know other kinds of teachers have the same experiences, but as an ESL teacher, I think it hits me so hard because I know some of the prejudices and obstacles they have to face that we as natural born citizens just can't understand, and to watch them work so hard when I know there are people out there who direct a lot of negativity toward them just kills me.

I would challenge anyone who has anything nasty to say about "those people" who "need to learn English" to come to my class just once. Watch them rush in, of their own free will, dog tired after a twelve hour day at a factory, to sit in a classroom for three hours. Ask them about their families who are at home while they're in class. Listen to them speak to me as respectfully as they would their boss, or their mother. Look at the presents they've bought me, when some can barely afford a notebook for class. See them help me clean up the classroom without being asked. Hear them say "Thank you, Teacher," after each and every class. Talk to my student who just earned citizenship how much money and time it cost her.

I know that some people come here and aren't productive members of society. So are a large percentage of the people who supposedly have the "right" to be here. There are leeches and losers in every corner of this world. I just wish that more people would judge individuals on their own merit, not by the actions of other members of their ethnic group. Or how about we just stop judging each other at all? I know I have enough of my own problems to worry about than whether or not someone else is holding up their end of the bargain. The next time you see someone in a store struggling to get the words out, instead of looking disdainfully at them, try helping them. And if you don't feel they deserve it, the next thing you should be doing is picking up a book and learning a new language for yourself, so you can see just how easy it is.