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. NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE

Stephanie

BACKGROUND
Sex: female
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Born in: San Diego
Parents born in: US

I was fortunate to be able to travel deep into Mexico during the summer of 1997. I stayed there for 5 weeks studying Spanish while living with a local family. This total immersion into a different language and culture changed the way I think about like in the US, as well as life in Mexico. Differences in the way we do things, such as household chores, speaking to others, and shopping for food may not seem to be very significant, but they are. Those small differences, combined with the dynamics in which people interact with their environment, attribute to the uniqueness of each culture. This experience in a place very different than that in which I was raised, has given me a new concept of the value of differences in life in all countries. I feel as though I have made a connection to life very different than that which I am familiar with. In that connection, I brought two worlds into one.


..... One year in high school I had a teacher who was known to be abrasive and harsh. His reputation made me fear him even before I entered his class. Once there, the fear became reality. Students in this class were continually belittled, singled out, and made to look stupid. Many days I would seriously consider not going to class, and sometimes I would ditch instead. When I did go, I sat without making eye contact, in the middle of the room, hoping to be lucky enough not to be called on. The fear of not being able to answer his questions in the way he expected made this experience traumatizing for me and other students. His adult humor and sarcasm with the students personally offended and hurt me. This experience was only because of the teacher and his lack of respect for the individual students.

As a result, I did not learn much. Teachers must realize that, at times, students are more sensitive to comments intended to be funny, but instead are hurtful. Student, of all ages hold their teachers at a high level, therefore the interaction between student and teacher needs to be positive and fulfilling. If students have negative experiences in class, it may forever harm the learning process for them. Teachers should try to put yourself in the students' level to examine what they hear and see in you. Take an objective position and remember that children are sensitive beings.

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