The Outsider

Coming from Without

I grew up in rural Kenya. I went to a local primary school where everyone knew everyone else, you had a ton of friends and there was no way you were left out in anything. School was fun. This perspective became narrower as I progressed in my education. However, regardless of attending a boarding high school far away from home, joining university even further and in the city, and disconnecting with all the friends I had in my primary school; I never felt out of place. It was easy to interact and make friends with new people that I met along the way.

Well, things changed when I moved to the US. It was the first time I travelled outside my country and I think I was not prepared enough for the tremendous changes this would have on me. I felt like an outsider in many ways. First, I am African. I come from an entirely different culture. Second, I am from an entirely different education system that has very little in common with the American one. Third, I share very little, if any, common life experiences with most people I interact with. In the first few months of living in the US, I found it hard to make friends and I often kept to myself (which is not me). I also sunk into depressing homesickness which made things even worse for me. The classes I attended sometimes made me feel welcome but other times pushed me even further outside the circle. Gradually, I learned to adapt to my environment and also learned how to look out for that one person who wanted to reach out to me.

What People did to Welcome me (Both in the School Environment and Outside).

• There was this one class in which I was the only international student. The professor in this class was fascinated by Kenya mainly because of the Rio Olympics. He could always ask me questions about Kenya and even showed clips of Kenyan athletes in class. Having opportunities to talk about my country to the class helped relieve a lot of my anxieties.
• The professor creating interactive learning sessions in which students mingled and shared ideas on different topics from their own perspectives.
• One professor always checked in on me to see how I was doing in my writing projects. He was always willing to brainstorm with me for ideas for my papers and also made me realize the importance of utilizing office hours.
• Students in my creative writing class would ask questions about the different ideas and experiences I wrote about in my stories. It felt wonderful that they wanted to learn something about my culture.
• My Swahilis students were eager to learn about Kenya. Apart from teaching them Swahili, we did a lot of fun stuff together. We could cook Kenyan meals, listen to Swahili music and watch short Swahili films. I learned a lot about the American culture from them as well.
• Professors and students being friendly and making the effort to make me feel like I am part of them.
• Having study dates with other students on weekends.
• Inviting me to parties such as halloween, thanksgiving, Christmas and new years.
• Exchanging contacts with me checking in on me.
• Having cooking dates where we would make dishes from different countries.
• Inviting me out for coffee, dinner or to the movies.

What People did to Exclude Me.

• Commenting openly on how it was hard to understand me because of my accent. (This always switched me off.)
• In my creative writing class, one student expressed how he was (extremely) shocked that I could write “such a beautiful story in English." And he went on to say how he did not expect such from a non-native speaker. (He probably meant it as a complement but it did not sound like that to me).
• Students excluding me from outside-classroom activities and discussion.
• One professor excluded me from class discussions.
• Asking questions about Africa and expecting me to know everything. (I have no problem with people asking me about Africa, I actually like talking about it. It becomes a problem when they expect me to have answers to every of their questions which are not necessarily about Kenya.)
• Professors not making effort to establish my background knowledge about a certain topic and expecting me to deliver at the same level with the rest of the students.
• Some students consciously avoiding sitting next to me in the classroom, or on the bus.
• A lady once shooed me away at Walmart when I tried to ask her something about bus schedule.

Creating a Welcoming and Conducive Learning Environment.

Looking back at my list, I can see how some of these situations can be a hinderance to the learning process especially in a situation where one has a diverse class. As a teacher, I believe it is important to pay attention to my students and find out how I can engage them in a fruitful learning experience.

Here are some ideas:

Build a community. Let students introduce themselves to the rest of the class. Make it clear that they exist in the classroom as a community and not individuals. Create opportunities for students to interact, talk to each other and share experiences.

Know your students. First, you need to know your students’ names. Secondly, make an effort to know them more. Identify the strengths and weaknesses of your students and reach out to those who might seem to need extra help.  In case you have international students in your class, meet up with them! Find out any challenges they might be having and find ways to help them feel comfortable in their new environment.

Address discrimination issues. In case a student makes a racist or an excluding comment towards another in class, do not let this pass. Find a way, either in class or privately, to talk to the student and let them understand they did wrong. At the same time, if this discriminatory remark was made directly to a student, make a point to talk to them. You never know how this might affect them.

Embrace the diversity in your classroom. You can create opportunities for students of different cultures and nationalities to bring their culture to the classroom. Just appreciating that there is a different culture in the classroom, especially from the international students, may help students feel welcome.

Check in on your students. Talk to them, know how they are doing and how you can be of help in case any is needed. This could even be in class at the beginning of the lesson where you can ask your students random general questions.

Be a role model. Be friendly and treat all your students equal. Let your students learn from you how you expect them to treat one another in the classroom.

Though I still feel like an outsider most times, my interaction with others has really been better and I find it easier to make friends. However, it is hard to unlearn some things. For instance, some of the initial negative experiences I had created in me the feeling that I CAN NEVER belong. Some of this feelings have stuck with me. It is therefore important for a teacher to establish a welcoming environment in the very initial stages of the class. A good start can always offset any bad that might come along the way.