1. When I was first going in to the high school on the first day of volunteering, I was very nervous about what was going to happen. I didn't know much about the people I would be helping or if I would even be able to help them. I didn't really have much reason to be worried though because everything went really smoothly. On the first time I helped a girl with her math homework and then we played hangman together with the time we had left. The next time I went in I helped a different girl with her math and I was actually surprised at how good it felt to see her understand it and be able to finish some of the problems on her own. That day I also stayed for a longer time and helped a boy draw and diagram a picture of a cell and also read to a younger girl for a little while. I was a little surprised at how well they were able to pick up what I was saying and apply it to the work they were doing. I guess I had this idea going in that they weren't going to be able to understand what I was saying and everything would be a huge challenge.
2. I think there are a few terms and concepts that are relevant to what I experienced. The first is the Uncertainty-Reduction Theory. Before actually interacting with people from a different culture I felt very nervous because I was not sure what to expect. This is because different cultures do things in different ways and we all feel most comfortable when we know how the other person might react, this does not always happen when dealing with different cultures. The second is how I was surprised at how well the people I were tutoring were understanding what I was saying and what was going on. First, this is an example of the assumptions I made going in. I didn't think they would be able to understand me and would act totally different because they were from another part of the world. I made the mistake of mixing race and ethnicity with culture. While the two are closely related, they are not the same thing. These kids were from different areas of the world but they were accustomed to American culture and they really seemed just like any other kid. Another aspect of this is that we were able to understand each other well because we are about the same age. There are many different influences on perception and age is one of them. We are able to see the world similarly because we have had about equal time and seen similar things. Of course not everything we have seen is the same, they have experienced a different culture, as well as having to leave that culture. Their views of the world are definitely different, and probably more advanced then mine but we were still able to connect to each other because we are close in age. The last thing I noticed is that when dealing with the kids is that I was self-monitoring. I was trying to be careful to be very clear in what I was saying and not use words that were too big. I also wanted to make myself seem smart in the subject matter so they would trust me and I also tried not to seem too ignorant of their culture, even though I was.
3. What I learned can be applied to future interactions because I will know better what to expect. I know that these kids are very easy to talk to and relate to so my feelings of nervousness will not nearly be as high. I will also know more about how to communicate with them. It really isn't any different than I communicate with anyone else. I can explain the concepts they need help with in the same ways that I would think of them as and they will understand them. I will also know how to present myself. While I don't think my self-monitoring will completely stop, I know I will feel more comfortable and as a result will probably do less of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment