Spending time in the town of Goshen
Lately I have been spending increasing amounts of time studying at the Goshen Public Library. Because Goshen is an ethnically diverse town, with a large percentage of citizens being Hispanic immigrants, spending time at this library as opposed to the library on campus has been an experience in diversity.
As I study, I am able to observe the interactions of those who are radically different from me. I am able to pick up some limited amounts of Spanish, and take note of families who come from a completely different background than myself.
Apart from spending time at the library, I have also been jogging through parts of town that is home to large numbers of immigrant families. Although direct interaction with these families is limited,I often wave and smile to these families, and am able to observe them, often outside, on a regular basis.
I have also been very conscious of where I buy my food recently. I have been shopping at San Marcos. Doing this not only supports local, Hispanic businesses, which I feel is important, but it also exposes me to a different cultural experience than if I shopped at Kroger's on a regular basis. At San Marcos, I am able to use my limited Spanish to buy food, and speak to the owners there. This breaks down walls by building community between immigrants and other members of the town, as well as earns the both of us an invaluable learning experience in diversity and respect of those different than ourselves.
Spending time with people significantly different from myself is an invaluable asset to becoming a good teacher. I think it is important to understand the differences in each student, both ethnically and otherwise. An exposure to differences leads to respect and an increased awareness of how to better accept and understand differences.
Attending Catholic Mass
On Wednesday, September 22, I attended a Catholic mass here on campus. Because I grew up in the Mennonite Church, and have never really had any close Catholic friends, the mass was quite an experience for me. I am simply not used to feeling so out of place and insecure. Seeing faith being played out in such a different way was very eye-opening, and made me re-examine my own beliefs in comparison to the beliefs of the Catholic church. This service inspired me to look up a little bit of history and doctrine on the Catholic Church, just to find out a little bit more about a tradition that is linked to my own, yet so radically different.
Being in a setting that makes me feel so uncomfortable is an invaluable learning
experience. As a teacher, for example, we will have students who are constantly feeling as t
hough they are out of place or do not belong. It is important, as teachers, to experience this sort of alienation if we are to help these students feel part of the whole, and accepted for who they are, despite of their differences. Learning about people with different ideas and beliefs also fosters a respect for those different points of view.