It can be a trying experience, to say the least, to be an outsider. There are those who, being a member of a minority population, are forever recognized as “different” from the dominant race or culture of an area, even if they have lived there for a lifetime. Such people can choose to embrace the dominant culture or embrace their largely unknown heritage. Then there are those who choose to leave their own home and travel to a new land, where the culture, values, and even the language must be learned anew. In effect, these people are restarting their lives. Sean is an extraordinary young man who has done both.
From his features and skin tone, it would be easy to assume that Sean is from the Indian subcontinent, and this is partially true. Sean’s family does come from the island of Sri Lanka, but his own story actually begins in Germany. Sean’s parents fled Sri Lanka about 25 years ago to escape civil war. Sean himself, while he identifies strongly with his Indian heritage, has never actually been to Sri Lanka -- yet. Born in Cologne, Sean has grown up as part of Germany‘s increasing multiculturalism. “You know, there are a lot of people from different countries: Turkey, Spain, Italian people, you know it was interesting, and I’m happy about that. It‘s hard to describe,” Sean admits, “but pretty much, I am a German. My parents are from India, I‘m from India, but I‘m also German.”
I have to admit, I was somewhat surprised to hear Sean’s description of German diversity and multiculturalism. I think that surprise was connected to my own education. Whenever Germany was brought up, it would be in history class, invariably in the context of World War II -- and the Germany we learned of there was NOT known as a bastion of diversity or multiculturalism. As open-minded I like to think of myself as, it was important to see how much of my own notions have been shaped by my schooling, which, in terms of cultural awareness, apparently had a long way to go.
Sean’s declaration of his nationality is important because, without knowing his background, it would be all too easy to categorize him in the “overcompensation” stage of acculturation. But we must remember that Sean is a second generation immigrant, having been born and raised in Germany. His upbringing, therefore, is exactly what we would expect from a family looking to acculturate. Sean learned German before learning Tamil (the official language of Sri Lanka), attended school with other German students (where he was often the only dark face in the room), and immersed himself in European culture (he traveled extensively through Europe before coming to America).
As a child growing up, Sean attracted quite a bit of attention. “It’s interesting for Germans who want to know where I’m from. I like to tell stories, because I’m open-minded about it.” This kind of attention can be overwhelming to some children, who withdraw from it and become introverts, like immigrants who regress to their native habits, but some can learn to embrace it. Sean chose the latter, and learned to be comfortable as a center of attention, never growing tired of telling his story to anyone who wanted to hear it -- which made him an ideal interview subject as well! Growing up in Cologne, Sean experienced racial tensions, but quickly learned not to let it bother him. “Growing up where I did, on the West side, people were very open minded. Sometimes I had some problems with black people, and I had some problems with white people, but I wouldn’t say they wanted to get in trouble with me because of my skin or something like that.”
And what about Sri Lanka? Sean has been interested in traveling there, but has so far decided against it for safety reasons -- the civil war Sean’s parents fled from has continued off-and-on to this very day, as the government tries to quell an insurgency led by the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam). Even though the war was officially declared over last May, “The problem is that they‘re still looking for soldiers,” Sean explains, “And I’ve heard about the dangers of when people my age go there… they‘d probably try to keep me there,” presumably to be drafted into military service. Most educators, myself included, might take for granted that the students and their families have not always come to the US by choice, but to escape undesirable, even dangerous conditions.
Sean remains positive that he will visit Sri Lanka in the future. “There are two kinds of places there: The kind where my parents are from; the actual Sri Lanka, and the part for people on vacation, but that‘s not the part I want to see. If you want to know what a country is about, you have to go where the people are living. I want to know about my heritage, not about the tourists.” Sean’s interest in learning about other cultures (including his own) is an attitude which educators need to foster in their students.
Probably the single most recognizable identifier of a person’s culture is their language, and Sean’s unique cultural background has given him a similarly unique language background -- not just bilingual, but trilingual. In addition to German and Tamil, Sean explains, “Sri Lanka was a colony of England, so the Indians there spoke English. My parents do, and they taught me English before I had to take it in school.”
Sean clearly identifies German as his first language, but identifying his second language is tricky. Chronologically, Sean learned Tamil before English, but given the combination of formal and informal education, it would seem his English is stronger. “I can speak [Tamil] and understand it, but I can’t write it.” As for English, it became a school requirement from 5th to 10th grade. “I would say that is because it is a world language…to be a part of the world, part of the world economy, to do whatever you got to do, to know English is certainly not a bad thing.”
Learning language has always been important to Sean: “There are people born and raised in Germany who only speak German, just like there are people in America who only speak American. I’m trying to improve my language in every kind of field, so there’s a lot I still need to learn: In German, in English, in Tamil.” In addition, Sean is studying Spanish, adding an fourth language to his already-impressive lexicon. “If you’re really interested in learning English, or any language, you find ways to study out in the world,” Sean says, noting that many of his school teachers were not themselves native English speakers. “But if all you’re trying to do is survive the class, then it’s not going to stay with you.”
Sean was right, of course. And what he said applies not only to acquiring language, but to any subject -- if it’s not relevant, it’s not remembered. It was real world experience, not the classroom, that led Sean to a language breakthrough. “About a year ago, I was living and working in England,” he explains, “And I had to use English the whole time I was there. At first I had troubles, but after a while, I started to think in English, and even dream in English.” The importance of this change cannot be exaggerated to a linguist. Once Sean was out of formal classes, his only English instruction was through social interaction. It was here, not in the classroom, that Sean stopped translating English and started really speaking it.
Most experts on second language acquisition, including Suzanne Peregory and Owen Boyle, authors of Reading, Writing, and Learning in ESL, stress that true native proficiency cannot be attained in a classroom setting, but in interaction with native speakers. they therefore recommend that educators give their ESL students as much interaction as possible with native speakers. Sonia Nieto and Patty Bode’s Affirming Diversity also, through its case studies of individual students, illustrated that students relate to their peers far more than to the school. That is to say, what the students do with each other has far more of an impact than what the school does for them. Sean’s outgoing personality gave him plenty of opportunities for social interaction. Combined with a genuine desire to learn, Sean’s progress in multiple languages is impressive, but not at all surprising.
Language isn’t the only adjustment Sean has had to make; coming to America means adjusting to a different culture, different from the Sri Lankan traditions he grew up with at home, or the European customs he experienced in his travels. While he feels that he has been accepted, happy that most people don’t treat him as being any different, he has found Americans to be more isolated than most Europeans. “Many Americans have never even been outside America, not even to Canada or Mexico, and most Germans, even if they’ve never been to America, they’ve been, you know, all over Europe. In Germany, for example it‘s more important to speak several languages.” Sean also noticed more connectivity among Europeans than among Americans: “Most Americans will ask you how you’re doing, but honestly, they don’t really care. They’re just being polite. The Germans, if you say you’re doing good, but they see in your face that you don’t look happy, they will ask you, and -- even a stranger -- they will take the time to help you.”
This, more than anything else, is what stuck with me from my experience talking to Sean. As educators, and more fundamentally, as human beings, we need to connect with one another. There was a time when I was dissatisfied with my teaching career and seriously considered quitting -- in hindsight, I see that it was because I had lost sight of this simple truth: I don’t teach a subject; I teach kids. Whether they’re from Sri Lanka or Hoboken, my goal is to see each one of them as an individual with their own stories to tell -- and each one of them deserves to be heard as much as Sean.
References
Nieto, S., & Bode, P. (2008). Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education. Boston: Pearson Education.
Peregory, S. F., & Boyle, O. F. (2008). Reading, Writing, and Learning in ESL. Boston: Pearson Education.
Sri Lanka. (n.d.). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved November 15, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/Sri_Lanka
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