A Lesson in Empathy

On Sunday I returned from a respite from volunteering and work; I was lucky enough to spend the last two weeks in August on an amazing European vacation traveling in France and Italy! While I have previously traveled quite a bit, it was the first time I went to countries where I or someone I was traveling with did not know the language. While nearly everyone we encountered was extremely patient and kind as I struggled to express myself through pantomiming and my hastily assembled handful of French or Italian phrases, I was reminded of my students learning English.

Every small task, from ordering meals to purchasing train tickets, became a potentially exhausting endeavor, often rife with miscommunication. Clearly most of these encounters were not life threatening and provided more laughs than headaches, but I couldn’t help thinking about learners in my class who struggle to use English to make doctor’s appointments, read prescription labels, decipher bank statements, enroll their children in school and perform other essential functions.

I hope to remember the range of feelings that accompany navigating a country in a language foreign to me, especially the challenge, frustration, and at times humiliation of not being able to express myself, acquire information or even just chat with people.

Clearly vacationing in Europe does not even begin to compare to the varying experiences of the immigrants and refugees in my class learning English, and while most Europeans I spoke with knew at least some English, many students’ native tongue is not spoken by, or sometimes has never even been heard of by many United States citizens. However, being immersed in the language barrier challenge for two weeks has given me an even greater admiration for the students’ determination. I suspect the experience will translate into more patience in the classroom.