Almost a month since last post.....what can I say! The new job and the online courses related to it, plus lesson planning and teacher trainings are keeping me very very busy!
Not complaining, I'm loving it!
But today I want to share this poem with you. It was part of the reading material for a paper I had to write and it really struck a cord with me.
So, here it goes:
Look Beneath the Surface
My voice may sound different than yours, but I speak your language.
We speak the same language, but we say different things.
I hear what people say about me and it isn’t pretty.
Everyday I’m criticized because of my accent.
I study hard and try to learn all I can about American culture, but that’s not enough.
My voice holds me back.
How would you like to hear what I hear?
My eyes may look different than yours,
But I see the same world.
I see the same things you do, but you see me differently.
You may see me as grade competition,
but I work hard in school because going to college in America is a big deal to me.
I see the way you treat me and it doesn’t look good.
How would you like to see what I see?
My skin may look different than yours, but I feel the same things.
I have the same feelings you do.
I laugh and I cry, but I do it for different reasons.
I never hurt anyone,
But I still know what it’s like to be feared.
I get angry knowing that my hard work in school may not pay off because of my skin color.
How would you like to feel what I feel?
By Cynthia Lysen, University of Florida
The Network Newsletter of Broward ESOL Council, Winter 1994
This poem struck a cord with me because unfortunately I encounter this kind of behavior quiet often!
Do you remember my "You're not American!" post?
I thought after getting my citizenship one year ago things would get better.
And many things improved, but many others stayed the same as I encountered the same prejudices and discrimination twice in the last week.
*SIGH*
