Note:The following essay, written by three students in the Ivy Tech English 111 class taught by John Roberts, refers to a communication and acculturation program that brought Ivy Tech students together with English as a Second Language students at NorthHigh School.
Good luck to NorthHigh School ESL students!
By
Amy Roseberry, Curt Thornburg, and James “Scott” Van Arsdale
IvyTechCommunity College
Through participating in the ESL program, I learned what an overwhelming and frightening experience it must be to arrive in this country with no comprehension or understanding of the English language. As fluent English speakers, there are many things we take for granted as part of our everyday routines that are immense obstacles for these young men and women. Communication is vital in our society and these teenagers must feel at times as if they are playing a game without knowing any of the rules. Combine this irrefutable fact with being placed in a distinctly different culture and adjusting to a foreign environment. I admire these young people for the perseverance and courage they show in facing and eventually overcoming these obstacles.
From our viewpoint as Ivy Tech students, we learned several things in this endeavor. We learned how hard these kids have to work to assimilate into our culture. And despite the differences in ethnic backgrounds and skin color, we learned these kids are in essence no different than American kids. I believe as people we are inclined to be most fearful of what we least understand. We need to cast out these thoughts and replace them with the openmindedness to embrace diversity and the differences in our cultures that make each of them unique.
The consensus amongst us was the students we interviewed and conversed with were all attentive, intelligent, and openminded. It’s obvious they want to learn; now the onus is upon us to provide them with the best learning tools and environment possible. If these young people wish to learn our language, continue their education and be productive members of our society, I feel we owe it to them to assist them by providing the best possible guidance and opportunities we can.
In conclusion, we would like to commend all who have collaborated to create this program. We enjoyed contributing to it and feel it’s a worthwhile and admirable pursuit. There will be communication obstacles along the way to overcome and it will require empathy, patience, and knowledge from all parties involved. But every long journey begins with a single step. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of this program and good luck to all of you.