Often we do not realise how students from refugee backgrounds can feel excluded and disempowered in the classroom in addition to the pressures that society places on them to perform well because they are in a ‘‘land of opportunities’’.
From my experience as a student both at a secondary and tertiary level, teachers have been one of the major influences on the way I performed at school. Even though I had the drive to pursue my studies and the determination to perform well, many times this goal was overshadowed by some of my teachers.
Many teachers assumed that because a student was from a refugee background, they were unable to perform like other kids. This might be true for some students, but I soon realised that students needed encouragement and someone who could believe in them and not underestimate them.
When I look back, especially at high school, in the classrooms where teachers never underestimated me but offered me help and encouragement, those were the classrooms in which I performed well.
But I was in some classrooms where, no matter how much effort I put in to the work, I always received low grades.
I remember an incident where a close friend borrowed my assignment to get an idea about how to approach the topic because she had been absent from school for about two months.
Being a good Samaritan, I wanted to help her, but little did I know she had photocopied my entire assignment and just changed the name. She received top marks in the class and the assignment was highly praised, with everyone wanting to know how she had achieved this mark.
Then I realised that it was my work with her name on it. The teacher said she could not tell that my friend had copied my work because I had submitted my assignment two months earlier.
As a 15-year-old, it was very painful to know that my work submitted under a different name earned a higher grade.
During my years in school, it was more painful to feel excluded or disempowered by my teachers than by my fellow students. In some subjects I lacked motivation because I felt I was treated as a student with less ability because of my highly traumatic past. In some classes, instead of the teacher helping me with the work, they would be sympathetic and compassionate, treating me with unrealistic kindness which made me feel excluded, rather than included as they intended.
On the other hand, I know that I am where I am today because of the support and the belief that some teachers had in me. They were there to correct me and to show me where and how to improve.
They looked past the title ‘‘refugee’’ and they saw an individual with ability. I didn’t need or want special treatment; I wanted to be treated like everyone else in the classroom. Sometimes I believe students with a refugee background do not just need academic support, they also need their confidence boosted.
It is important to recognise people’s abilities regardless of the difficulties they may have endured in their lives.
A teacher’s attitude towards a student can be immensely empowering or disempowering. Teachers need to create an inclusive environment in the classroom and understand that students have different learning styles and abilities. Coming from a refugee background does not necessarily make them less able or less intelligent.
Tshibanda Gracia Ngoy is a UOW student studying a Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies/Bachelor of Commerce
Email a friend