http://www.active.com/donate/teacherexchange2011/texJMillen
I have always supported Invisible Children and its cause. Since the moment I discovered the teacher exchange program about 4 years ago, I immediately knew it was for me. I had recently taken an interest in Africa but unsure of what my role could be. It surprised me to learn that so many children were being abducted and forced to commute to remain safe. I began to read memoirs written by writers who had grown up in East Africa. I was heartbroken but at the same time inspired to do something. I couldn’t fathom the idea of what it meant to be an internally displaced person. I knew about refugees, but the idea of being forced to remain in your country but away from your home and still not be safe was something so foreign to me. In college, I had studied Ethnic Minority Studies and had focused much of my learning around Latin America. I had strong understandings of dictatorships and the need for a country and its people to have a fair and just government. After learning about Invisible Children, I was able to really start to understand the true conflicts that cover Africa. Each region’s conflict is different, but is ultimately the same. I remember the feeling I had when I first stumbled upon the teacher exchange program. I felt excited with and immediate rush of adrenaline that soon turned to fear. I knew I was not ready. I had just graduated college and was looking for a teaching job. I was unsure of where my future would lead me, but was convinced that this opportunity would go beyond my capacity. Who was I to think that I could change something so grave? Well, in time and with experience, now I wonder, “Who am I not to think I can change something so grave?”
I have always supported Invisible Children and its cause. Since the moment I discovered the teacher exchange program about 4 years ago, I immediately knew it was for me. I had recently taken an interest in Africa but unsure of what my role could be. It surprised me to learn that so many children were being abducted and forced to commute to remain safe. I began to read memoirs written by writers who had grown up in East Africa. I was heartbroken but at the same time inspired to do something. I couldn’t fathom the idea of what it meant to be an internally displaced person. I knew about refugees, but the idea of being forced to remain in your country but away from your home and still not be safe was something so foreign to me. In college, I had studied Ethnic Minority Studies and had focused much of my learning around Latin America. I had strong understandings of dictatorships and the need for a country and its people to have a fair and just government. After learning about Invisible Children, I was able to really start to understand the true conflicts that cover Africa. Each region’s conflict is different, but is ultimately the same. I remember the feeling I had when I first stumbled upon the teacher exchange program. I felt excited with and immediate rush of adrenaline that soon turned to fear. I knew I was not ready. I had just graduated college and was looking for a teaching job. I was unsure of where my future would lead me, but was convinced that this opportunity would go beyond my capacity. Who was I to think that I could change something so grave? Well, in time and with experience, now I wonder, “Who am I not to think I can change something so grave?”
I have had many experiences since that day that have led me to where I am now. Only a few months later, I found my perfect job. I would teach half time in a classroom and the other half of my day would be working with second language learners. It seemed perfect and has thus far been both my greatest achievement and biggest learning experience. Working at Crawford, where approximately 80% of students are second language learners and 90% of students receive free and reduced lunch, I am challenged everyday with outside factors out of my control that students must overcome in order to be successful. I would have never imagined these obstacles that my students face in my own school experience.
Our school community has had a recent influx of refugees. The first to come was a Somali family who had lived in Kakuma in Kenya. My first year of teaching, I met Mohamed. Mohamed, who didn’t know any English or how to write his name, spent his days sobbing. He was bullied and thought everyone was against him. I got to know Mohamed about three months into his enrollment because he was in my beginning English Language Development class. Still hardly knowing any English, he was timid and trusted no one. Eventually, Mohamed began to feel safe and started to acquire English. With time, he began to smile, make friends and enjoy school. My second year, I had Mohamed in my 4th grade literacy class. At the same time, our refugee population began to expand. My classroom had drastically changed since the year before. Instead of just having Spanish and English speaking students, I had Mohamed who spoke Kiswahili, Bhutanese refugees who spoke Nepali and Burmese refugees both from the Karen and Karenni groups. Although these newcomers have challenged my thinking both professionally and personally, they have become my passion. I realized just how impacted these students were after having a conference with Mohamed’s dad the second semester of Mohamed’s 4th grade year. He told me that Mohamed was born in Kakuma and had never lived anywhere else. He had never been to school. This was surprising to me because even though I knew Mohamed was a refugee, he had always said he used to live in a big house in Nairobi. The next day, I told Mohamed that his dad had told my about Kakuma and that I hoped he would tell me about it sometime. Suddenly, he was writing and talking about Kakuma all the time. I knew he finally felt safe.
I currently teach 5th grade math, science and social studies. I continue to work with second language learners as an English Language Acquisition Teacher Leader. In my current classroom, nine out of twenty-five students are refugees, including Mohamed (who happens to be one of my highest students). Most of these students are newcomers and have very limited English. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with these students because I know they have tremendous stories. They also have hope and perseverance. They are able to come to school every day, smile, laugh, learn and know peace. They are the lucky ones that have been afforded a new life outside of their conflict zones. Through these experiences, I have learned to always have hope to change something. Just the other day, one of my refugee students was wearing a shirt that said, “Out of Chaos, Hope”. It was an inspiring reminder that regardless of where or what someone comes from, there is always a possibility to better one’s life.
I want to go to Uganda because I believe that every child should have an equal right to a quality education no matter where or what they have come from. I have realized my passion lies in not only teaching, but helping those who have known conflict find peace. Students cannot learn if they do not feel safe and education is the only way to make a systematic change. Now, without any doubts, I know I am ready for this challenging opportunity.
I expect this trip to be challenging and trying. I expect to learn about myself as a person and as an educator. I expect to learn about Ugandan and Acholi culture. I expect it to be unforgettable. Everything else will surprise me.
