January 22, 2008: Immigrant Students within the Classroom

I cannot imagine immigrating to a new country as a child. Not having a full understanding of your own culture and being forced to try and understand a brand new culture. Not being able to converse with the people of this new land, not knowing the cultural norms, or knowing what food is put before you, going to this thing called 'school' for the first time. The concept of school is something that is easily understood by individuals who have lived here for his/her entire life, but coming here and beginning a new life with a new set of rules and expectations must be challenging. I believe that any and every teacher's has a responsibility to each and every child within his/her classroom. No matter how difficult the challenge is, a teacher needs to educate the child: educate the child about the cultural norms, the language, as well as the knowledge placed before every student. I believe that every teacher should do something and everything possible to make the transition easier for the child. A child never makes the decision to move to another country and uproot the families entire life. A child needs support from every direction.

Although, I firmly believe that a teacher has a responsibility towards the immigrant child, the teacher also has just as much responsibility towards the other students within the classroom. The immigrant child had no say in whether or not to move but neither did the child who has lived there his/her entire life. One of the hard parts of teaching is that each and every students needs personal, one-on-one attention. And each child needs the same amount of this special attention. This takes a huge toll on the teacher. However, it is something that must be done. A part of a teacher's job is to have each and every student excel to the best of his/her ability.