Being New and Different

Growing up I was among the group of students who never knew what it was like to be "the new kid." I lived in the same school district from kindergarten through high school and had known most of the other students in my class since elementary school. Due to this consistency, I took the security and stability of my situation for granted. Therefore, I never truly appreciated how difficult it must have been for those students who moved to our town after the first grade.

Having spoken English my entire life, I also took for granted being able to understand the language the teachers used when teaching. For the few foreign students who moved to my school district, I did not try to put myself in their shoes and see school from their perspective. It did not occur to me to think about what their lives were like in their native homelands or how difficult it must have been to leave it behind. In contrast, I felt like the students were often overlooked because they could not speak English well. The students probably felt very isolated as a result.

I did not think about either of these issues until the tables were turned, and I was the foreign student in a new school. During my senior year in high school, I was an exchange student in Germany. While the experience overall was amazing, my transition into the new school was quite difficult. Until one teacher, Herr Pick, made all the difference.

During my time in Germany, I was in the twelfth grade in a German high school, otherwise known as a Gymnasium. There were sixty students in my grade, and the overwhelming majority had been together since the sixth grade, if not since kindergarten. I was not only the only exchange student, but also the only American. Although I had taken four years of German language courses, I found it very difficult to understand what the teachers and students were saying. Plus, at the beginning of my time in Germany, my confidence in my German speaking ability was not very high.

I can vividly remember sitting in classes and understanding at best a third of what the teachers were saying. Although I tried very hard to listen and comprehend, the teachers treated me like I was not even in the room. I felt invisible. The teachers never called on me because they thought that I did not understand what was happening. The effect was that my motivation to work dropped significantly. In my mind, I felt like if the teachers do not care what I do, then why should I?

The only exception in my day was my math teacher, Herr Pick. He treated me like a real person and included me in his lessons. Although I could not understand everything he said, I could follow the subject matter fairly well since the symbols used in calculus are universal across countries. I looked forward to his class because I could use my brain. I felt like my presence mattered. When I took the exam in his class, he held me to the same standards as the native German students. I had never been so happy to receive a B - on an exam; I knew I had earned it.

My experience as an exchange student has given me a new perspective that I want to carry with me when I become a teacher. Herr Pick taught me the importance of reaching out to all students and to believe in each of them. Just because a student may not be able to communicate in a certain language does not mean that the student does not have anything to say. I will also make a conscious effort to reach out to students who are new. After all, I know first-hand how it can make all the difference in the world.

-- Sandy