Undergrad Diversity Experience: Study Abroad in Rome, Italy - Spring 2015
My semester abroad in Rome enabled me to better empathize with various learning styles. I learned best from the real, hands-on experiences. It was made clear to me that we are all tactile learners by nature. I know that my students - no matter the age - will need to be able to see, to touch, to smell, to listen, to experience the material. This is one of the ways that my semester abroad will impact my teaching style.
In regards to my teacher-student relationships, by being given the opportunity to live diversity in my own education while I took on the course load in a foreign country I hope to be open to the diversity I will encounter on a day-to-day, year-to-year basis. Also, this four-month experience paved the way and laid foundations for my understanding of the intense difficulty when coming head-to-head with language, behavior, and general expectation barriers. No longer could I assume that the person walking across from me would be able to answer a question that I had about the city. No longer was it enough to say, “Excuse me, waiter? Can I get a refill on my glass of water?” I had to grapple with these frustrations for the four months I stayed in Europe. I hope that by the time I am in the classroom as a teacher I can empathize with my English Language Learners and be more aware of the struggles that often get forgotten.
In regards to my teacher-student relationships, by being given the opportunity to live diversity in my own education while I took on the course load in a foreign country I hope to be open to the diversity I will encounter on a day-to-day, year-to-year basis. Also, this four-month experience paved the way and laid foundations for my understanding of the intense difficulty when coming head-to-head with language, behavior, and general expectation barriers. No longer could I assume that the person walking across from me would be able to answer a question that I had about the city. No longer was it enough to say, “Excuse me, waiter? Can I get a refill on my glass of water?” I had to grapple with these frustrations for the four months I stayed in Europe. I hope that by the time I am in the classroom as a teacher I can empathize with my English Language Learners and be more aware of the struggles that often get forgotten.