Maxwell and Cornell co-host workshop on refugees in the classroom
Leigha Crout | July 18, 2017
In the aftermath of an
election marred by divisive rhetoric, many teachers are finding that their
classrooms have become open forums for children to express opinions towards
minority groups that are offensive, intolerant, and often disturbing. Refugee
students have been among the primary targets.
“Kids are coming into
the classroom spouting things that would be considered DASA (Dignity for All
Students Act) violations," one local teacher observed. "It’s
horrible.”
This year's International Studies Summer Institute (ISSI),
called “Refugees in a Global Context: Teaching Through Historical Lessons &
Contemporary Issues,” was designed to help teachers address precisely such
issues.
“The reality is
that the 2016 election sanctioned the ability to say things that were
previously out of the question – statements that are racist, xenophobic, and
egregiously false," said Dr. Jamie Winders, chair of the geography
department at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse
University and a presenter at the workshop. "I’ve had so many
teachers calling after the election and asking me, ‘How do I talk about this
with my students?’”
ISSI is an annual
professional development opportunity that gives New York State K-12 teachers
content, tools, and strategies for internationalizing their curriculum. It is
co-organized by Cornell University's Southeast
Asia Program and the South Asia Consortium, comprised of
the South Asia Center at the Maxwell School and the South Asia
Program at Cornell.
Syracuse and Cornell offer
stipends to participating teachers, who are eligible for continuing education
credits through TST BOCES.
Teachers from the 7th to
the 27th Districts of New York (including the New York City,
Utica, Ithaca, Dryden, and Syracuse school districts) participated in the
conference, which was supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s National
Resource Center (NRC) program, Subjects included how to integrate refugee
children into the classroom, the need to prioritize education in refugee camps
and host nations, and the dangerous rhetoric that has begun to surface in
classrooms across the U.S.
In a presentation titled
“Exploring Multicultural & Multilingual Identities Through Memoirs, Movies,
and Mask-Making,” Thamora Fishel, associate director of Cornell’s Southeast
Asia Program, and Michelle Kirchgraber-Newton, an ESOL teacher at
Belle Sherman Elementary School in Ithaca, explained that educating
students on the importance of inclusion and diversity may be done through the
simple act of sharing.
They highlighted the
effectiveness of mutual cultural introduction through interactive crafts,
media, and open discussions on diversity.
In addition to providing
students exposure to different backgrounds, this method also encourages refugee
students to be active participants in the classroom, Kirchgraber-Newton
said. “For the first time, refugee students feel as if they know more than
their peers. This gives these children confidence that is crucial for their
development and integration.”
Keynote speaker Gertrude
Noden, founder of the Ithaca-based educational consultancy Words into
Deeds, shared several ways in which teachers can help their students
learn empathy, cultural sensitivity, and community activism in a delicate
political climate. These include inviting refugee guests into classes to
share their experiences, engaging with international human rights documents
such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), and inspiring
students to take the initiative in service projects.
At the conclusion of her
talk, Noden said she was “encouraged that so many dedicated educators were
committed to deepening their understanding about current large groups of
populations and their willingness to work out ways in which their schools can
also acknowledge and address the crisis through student action and
empowerment.”
After discussing of
practical methods for promoting unity and understanding among classmates, many
participants said their outlook on the upcoming school year had improved.
David George of Dryden
Central School District said the summer institute was “a wonderful opportunity
for anyone who wants to consider an issue from many angles and perspectives.
The current information, diverse views and interdisciplinary insight shared are
invaluable," he saidl "It is much easier to approach an issue in the
classroom after having examined it through cultural, geographical, historical,
political, psychological, sociological and pedagogical lenses.”
Jeannette Luther of Spencer-Van
Etten Middle School shared that “this year's workshop stimulated our minds
on refugees around the globe. I feel so prepared to engage students on
discussion concerning refugees. I am also volunteering at a refugee
camp in two weeks and this workshop was a tremendous help!”
Leigha Crout is the
graduate assistant for outreach at Cornell's Southeast Asia Program.