The Refugee Crisis and Our Schools Helping Students Develop Empathy and Embrace Diversity Anna Kuechenberg

A New Era of Challenge and Opportunity The influx of refugees, especially from war torn countries like Syria, brings a new set of challenges and opportunities to our public school systems. While policy makers and administrators have huge decisions in front of them on how to address the needs of these students, as teachers, we have the privilege and responsibility to create a welcoming atmosphere in the classroom.

Statistics on U.S. Refugee Children “Over 60,000 refugee children were resettled in the U.S. between 2011 and 2013 from many different countries, including Iraq, Burma, Bhutan and Somalia. ”(1) “The population of first- and second-generation immigrant children in the United States grew by 51 percent from 1995 to 2014, to 18.7 million, or one-quarter of all U.S. children.” (2) As educators, we must be prepared to address the needs of an increasingly heterogeneous classroom.

American Adult Attitudes Towards Immigrants One Word to Describe Immigrants (Taken from a Study by the Pew Research Center) When asked what one word first comes to mind when thinking about immigrants in the U.S. today, the word “illegal” is offered by 12% of American adults—more than any other word. Other respondents offered words such as “overpopulation” (5%), “legality” (4%), “jobs” (3%), “deportation” (3%) and “work ethic” (3%). (3)

On Ground Level Adult attitudes filter down to students. While the popular American attitude towards immigrants may range from acceptance to indifference to distrust of immigrants, as educators it is our job to broaden our students’ perspectives. We must encourage our students to develop empathetic, tolerant, and collaborative attitudes towards their peers.

Reading Is Key to Developing Empathy “Reading is an exercise in empathy; an exercise in walking in someone else’s shoes for a while.” – Malorie Blackman “That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings are universal longings, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone. You belong.”  – F. Scott Fitzgerald (4)

A Plethora of Resources With immigration in the spotlight in the news and in the forefront of educational concerns, there are many books that can help students understand the lives of immigrant children. By reading these novels, our students can begin to understand the refugee crisis and be more open and accepting of their non-native peers. The following is just a sampling of recommended resources.

Hidden addresses stereotypes, bullying, and understanding the plight of illegal immigrants. It is written in the first person from a 14 year old girl’s perspective. It could be used to discuss prejudices, especially towards students from a Middle Eastern background. (5)

Inside Out and Back Again is an award winning young adult novel that can also be used to engender empathy towards students from ethnically diverse backgrounds. While set during the Vietnam war, this book is relevant for students today. Understanding the effect of war on a young adult’s life is important for our students, in light of the current Syrian refugee crisis. (6)

Illegal touches on the negative attitudes of Americans towards illegal immigrants. By dispelling some of the myths surrounding illegal immigration and putting a face to the Hispanic illegal population, Bettina Retrepo’s book can be a great starting place for class discussions on perceptions. (7)

Sources: 1) https://www.newamerica.org/education-policy/edcentral/educating-refugees-us-schools/ 2) https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/data-mine/articles/2016-01-05/number-of-immigrant-students-is- growing 3) http://www.pewhispanic.org/2015/09/28/chapter-4-u-s-public-has-mixed-views-of-immigrants-and- immigration/ 4) http://sallyallenbooks.com/2016/03/5-quotes-on-reading-and-empathy/ 5) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hidden-miriam-halahmy/1110695196?ean=9780823436941 6) https://www.amazon.com/Inside-Out-Back-Again- Thanhha/dp/0061962791/ref=pd_sim_14_12?ie=UTF8&refRID=1V5706XM546QD7CCD728 7) https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/illegal-bettina- restrepo/1100151823?ean=9780061953422&pcta=u&st=PLA&sid=BNB_DRS_Core+Shopping+Textbooks_00 000000&2sid=Google_&sourceId=PLGoP62420