We Are Here Understanding the journey of immigrant teachers in the United States
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t’s been 22 years, but Lei Zhang still remembers the first time he came from China to teach as a teacher’s assistant.
“When I first came to this country, I became so nervous teaching in the classroom because of the language barrier,” Zhang said. Zhang, a grader at the time, said he was surprised at the stark differences between the work assigned to American students and Chinese students. Accustomed to
If those educators were removed from the system, schools would be in dire trouble, the report said. However, many foreign educators are still burdened with unaddressed challenges of sociocultural shock.
After meeting many American-born colleagues who continually work on improving their communication skills despite knowing English as their first language, Zhang made great efforts to improve his English. This has been especially true with the many Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) immigrants currently employed by U.S. schools. Sujata Krishna, a UF professor of physics originally from India, said it brought her new experiences. It was the first time she was teaching large classes of 700 students. It was a big moment for her to meet that challenge, she said. Krishna also compared the American edu-
38This | fall 2018 story is by THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA
design/karen yung + ingrid wu
International educators have become increasingly prevalent in recent years because of national teacher shortages. In 2017, the Brookings Institution released a report that said eight percent of American teachers were born abroad, although the actual number is likely greater than that.
Fortunately, there are ways to overcome that language barrier. Personal motivation to learn, study and practice the local language is important for the success of immigrant professors. Students can also meet teachers halfway by helping new educators grow accustomed to their environment.
photography/ kylee gates
stricter instructions, Zhang had an experience similar to many foreign educators.
He said Western teaching is more difficult to follow because students think in egalitarian terms and do not view teachers in high regard. Hutchison also said that while many international teachers are able to learn English fluently, they are stumped by American colloquialisms.
by kaylyn ling
i think the reason that the United States is so strong ... is because they have a lot of very intelligent immigrants from other countries —lei zhang
“There is a lot of unspoken pain among immigrant professors and teachers,” Charles Hutchinson, a professor of education at the University of North Carolina, said. Originally from Ghana, Hutchinson wrote a book on the experience of immigrant professors, combining research with reflections upon his own experience as an international faculty member.