Being the "Other"

For my "being the other" experience I chose to go to a Spanish speaking ward. I do not understand Spanish so, I really felt like the "other."

Observation:

• Everyone sat with their families or friends 
• The hymns were sung in Spanish
• The prayers were in Spanish 
• The sacrament prayers were in Spanish  
• The testimonies were in Spanish  
• Many of the testimonies talked about the Provo City Center temple and Jesus Christ 
• There was a baby blessing 
• A couple was sustained in their calling

Interpretation:

• The Spanish ward is very family oriented 
• The ward is very supportive of each other in their callings 
• The testimonies and prayers expressed a lot of gratitude 
• Since everything is in Spanish the ward is very oriented toward those who speak Spanish as a first language or those who are bilingual

Feelings:

• Even though I did not know the language I felt like everyone was very much in unity 
• When testimonies were shared I could tell when people strongly believed in what they said
• I could feel the Spirit even though I did not know the language 

     When I first walked into the room I did not really know where to sit. Everyone was sitting with their families and I came alone. I felt out of place being the other at first because I did not know anyone and couldn't really talk to anyone because I didn't know the language. I did not say a word the entire meeting besides singing and no one came up to me figure out who I was. I participated by singing the hymns in Spanish. It was challenging because I was very unsure of the language and the pronunciation of the words. Even though there was a great sense of unity among the ward I did not feel that I was part of it. It might have been because I didn't know anyone or because I simply did not communicate through the same language. At the end of the service I left because I felt so out of place. I did not feel a sense of belonging there.
     I coped with otherness by doing what the people around me did. When everyone prayed I bowed my head and folded my arms. When the sacrament was passed I partook of it. When we sang hymns I sang as well. At first I was apprehensive about singing the hymns in general because I didn't know the language but to cope I decided to give it a try and sing them. I sang very quiet because I was afraid that my pronunciation would stand out among the ward. By the closing hymn I became more comfortable with singing the hymns even though my pronunciation was probably still off. By the end of the meeting I had coped with the feeling of "being the other" but the fact that I was the "other" did not go away.
     The implications for the students in my classroom who are experiencing school as a "foreign place" are that I have a better understanding of what they will be going through when they don't understand the language or culture in a certain place. I now understand the feeling of wanting to be part of the unity that exists. I also understand the feeling of wanting to get out of the situation because you do not feel like you belong. It's hard to participate when you do not feel like you fit the norm that exists. In my classroom my experience specifically can be related to ELL students but can be applicable to any student that feels like they do not belong. As a teacher I want to make all students feel comfortable and safe in my classroom; I want them to feel like they are part of something. I want to assure each student that they have meaning to my class and make them feel welcomed.