What the Substitute Learned in Class

The English class I substituted today left me pondering. I wasn’t prepared for the emotional attachment I felt for two of the students whom I helped. One was from the Philippines, and the other one from Nicaragua. The assignment for the day was writing a narrative about something in their lives that had a profound effect on them. Each gave me impactful insight into their world and inner soul.

The first several minutes of the class I observed students seated around a table taking turns reading a narrative that the student from the Philippines had written as his first draft. Curiosity got the best of me as students discussed how good the paper was. I asked if I could read it, and after encouragement from his fellow students he gave me the paper. 

Immediately the narrative tugged at my heart and emotionally drew me in. He spoke about saying goodbye to his family at the airport and how his grandmother cried and hugged him. Being nine at the time, he didn’t fully understand the impact of leaving his country to come to America. It was only he and his mother and coming to live with a family that at first did not accept him. He explained how in his naivety and innocence, he never had a clue that other’s felt that way about him. 

He further went on to talk about his recent summer visit back to the Philippines to visit his family he hadn’t seen in eight years. He felt torn between the joy he felt seeing his grandmother, cousins, and other’s, and the knowledge they would be separated again once he came back to America. It could be felt from his paper, the pain and confusion that tugged at his heart. He explained that as he grew older and gained friendships, he felt accepted; and, although his life was good in the U.S., part of himself was still in the Philippines. 

A few minutes later, I could tell a student was having difficulty getting started, so I sat down next to him and asked him what he was going to write his paper on. He explained he was wanting to write about coming to America from Nicaragua, but didn’t see how he could fill up three pages worth of writing. Perceiving the possibilities would be endless, I began to ask him questions about his life in Nicaragua. He too was nine years old when he left his country, and explained how he understood little of what was going on. He did not remember his family, or his country, but what left the deepest impression was the feeling of isolation when he first came here. He went on to explain how because he could not speak English for a couple of years, it was difficult to communicate and make friends. Like the other student, through time he made friendships and has a fulfilling life in his new country. 

The two high school students were obviously good kids and a pleasure to get to know. They were both well liked by their peers and working hard to do well. The class was for high school students earning credit for college. They were succeeding in school and looking to their futures. 

The experience connected me to pieces of the world I knew little about and at times harshly judged. In many ways I am stingy at sharing my country and resent the bad that is coming into it and harming the culture I love and want to preserve. Although I still desire it’s protection, I was grateful that today I saw the beauty in two young students who shared their inner vulnerabilities and reminded me that we are all an intricate part of the human race as a whole. 

I want and need to experience more of life teaching moments like these. It helped quiet some of my fears and bond me with mankind. We have so much more in common than we have differences. We all feel pain, sorrow, hurt, loneliness, fear, joy, love, and so much more. I want to tap more into the commonalities. I want to be wise while being kind, cautious while being open, and enlightened while being less judgmental.