Each program at CEWD has a team of staff, counselors and administrators who are passionate about the work we do. Oftentimes this work has us drawing from personal experiences to connect with participants in sometimes unexpected ways. At a recent meeting, one staff member recounted an in-class experience that highlighted how important our individuality is to the programs we run:

“It is almost hard to believe that once in my life I did not speak English, I remember being 6 years old and arriving at the Big Apple. In listening to strangers speak the English language; I began to form my own language thinking that I too would create a language such as English. Recently, I had the pleasure of teaching a professional development course and found myself in the shoes of one of my students. It was evident that language creates a barrier. I was 6 years old, so my imagination was undoubtedly active. For adults, though, it seems different as we have developed far beyond our concrete years and concern ourselves with people watching us, listening to us and judging us, further making us self-conscious and embarrassed because our accent. Luckily for my student, there was someone else in the room who could empathize with her and fully understand the ramifications of language, or the lack of, and how it ultimately impacts our self-esteem. By the end of the class and with a little self-disclosure on my part, my student confessed that her negative aggression and tough demeanor were all byproducts of, “feeling misunderstood and a lack of understanding.” It was not that my student is a “mean person,” rather a person aware of where she is and frustrated by not being where she wants to be linguistically. I was stopped in the hall by my student; it was evident the new sense of confidence, if I could capture those shiny eyes I would and share them with the world. My student proceeded to tell me, “thank you for encouraging me and caring enough.” I was thrilled and highly inspired to do it again!”