Scott Kaplan

Community service always seems to be the answer. How can elite students benefit those around them? Community service. What can elites do to give back to society? Community service. The majority of people don’t tend to push back upon this notion, rather they typically look at it on the surface. On the surface, it seems like a great idea. However, at the core of community service, there can be many moral and social problems.

In class, we recently discussed some of the issues that surround elites engaging in community service. The biggest issue is the motivation behind the act. Are elites truly selfless, or do they care more about making themselves look good? I firmly believe that completing these charity acts is one of the many practices elites use to retain their power. Sure, it is hard to say that community service doesn’t benefit the public; however, that’s not the point. The point is that elites are able to gain more social capital and power by appealing to their community.

I’m curious how this concept of community service fits into the discussion of global citizenship we’ve been having throughout this semester. We’ve used global citizenship as an umbrella term for people who are socially and politically conscious on a global scale. Global citizenship is seen as a positive concept; however, is it not another practice for elites to retain their power? The reason I question this is that community service is supposed to be a large factor in global citizenship. Using post-colonial theory, one could argue that elite students confuse global citizenship with abusing their power and imposing values upon minorities. Around the world, international schools are attempting to create global citizens who can become future leaders. By using community service efforts, these students are able to gain “knowledge and experience” working within the world, which can also be known as gaining “power.”

Another issue with community service that I’d like to address are the various power dynamics involved. For example, an elite student working with kids at a local school may seem simple. On the surface, it seems easy, caring, and generous. This may be true, although there’s another side to this story. An elite student that’s helping a child from a weaker social class, for example, may be giving that child a false perception of what they can become in their life. By sharing values and mentoring a child with their own elite culture, the elite student may not be benefitting the community as much as they might think. In an article titled, “From conscientization to imagining redistributive strategies: social justice collaborations in elite schools” by Adam Howard and Claire Maxwell, the authors mention that most elite students only grow up within elite contexts. Therefore, they may not understand the scope of inequality in their society and may not know how to engage in community service work properly.

It’s important for me to note that I understand this may seem like an extremely pessimistic view of the world. I’m not trying to convey pessimism; instead, I’m attempting to provide a realistic perspective, one that nudges a complex of humanistic and moral values. In other words, I hope to question some of the “righteous” efforts of the elite, in order to ensure that the overall impact on the lower social class is net positive. I do believe in the benefits of certain civic engagement efforts. For example, I support the mentorship and types of connections that elite students can make with kids at local schools. I’m optimistic about the concept of micro-successes, such as small acts of generosity, which can eventually add up and make a large impact. This blog post is not trying to take away from those positive effects; rather, it’s asking elite students to be critically aware of their bias and imposition. I’d suggest that elites make sure to question their motives when participating in community service. So selfless or selfish? There may not be a definitive answer, although as an elite student myself, I think it’s essential to always question your motives and ensure that you’re aware of the impact you have on others.

References:

Adam Howard & Claire Maxwell (2018): From conscientization to imagining redistributive strategies: social justice collaborations in elite schools, Globalisation, Societies and Education

During my research process, I’ve come across different perspectives from students and teachers about language and the personal impacts that these languages may have. I’ve read about the good, the bad, and the ugly, which shows that attending an international school can be a difficult and life-changing task. Especially in the case of the TES School in Taiwan, where culture is always a relevant topic, it can be hard for students to figure out how they want to identify themselves. As students develop emotionally and socially throughout high school, finding how their self-identity connects with culture and language can be a confusing task. On the other hand, some students thrive in this multicultural environment, and enjoy learning from their peers.

To begin, I’d like to discuss some of the negative actions that may occur at an international school. In an interview, one teacher from the TES School mentioned that there was a large bullying problem, especially at the middle school level. The teacher notes, “…it is difficult to tell when students are being bullied, because the students all speak in Chinese so often. By speaking in Chinese, the bullies are able to hide their unkind words…” Differences in language enable some students to take advantage of their peers and teachers. Of course, it is acceptable that students should be able to speak in their preferred language, for no one should feel culturally uncomfortable. However, if students are getting uncomfortable as a result from bullying, then it is important to find the root of that issue and think of ways to resolve it.

Schools that rank high in diversity often run the risk of dealing with segregated friend groups and social cliques. To put it simply, diversity is easier to achieve than inclusion. Therefore, at international schools like the TES School, inclusion is essential in creating a healthy learning environment.

On a more positive note, one teacher mentioned that learning languages can give some students confidence in themselves. When talking about learning English, the teacher explains that many of the students in Taiwan hope to eventually attend an American university. She extends that thought by saying, “… if they say that they came from some American university, people will think they are a really good person and the word you say will be more reliable.” Learning new languages can make students more culturally aware and accepting of the people around them.

I’d like to note that I must be aware of some of the bias I hold when completing this research, for I am a white male from the United States who speaks English. It is not my intention to promote a biased perspective on language; rather, I hope to provide some of the observations that I’ve witnessed throughout my research. When looking at the impact of languages, post-colonial theory is often relevant. Feeling confident about learning English can often be confused with the negative implication of westernization, so it is important to be self-aware when writing about this topic.

As I continue to sift through research and interviews from the TES school in Taiwan, I’ve found myself connecting with certain students and being able to understand more about what it means to be a global citizen. This has been very fitting, for my group has been looking at the impact that studying foreign language has on becoming a global citizen.

In an interview, one student from the TES school explained the importance behind studying languages. This is a high school student whose family had traveled around quite a bit throughout his childhood. Therefore, learning different languages was an essential part of his education and social development. He often found that these languages allowed him to interact with different groups of people. I believe this impacted his personal philosophies on culture and identity. In other words, I would argue that studying these languages allowed him to be more open and accepting towards a greater and more diverse group of people. There are some limitations when looking at studying language, such as the influence of westernization; although this blog post is strictly looking at the more optimistic side.

While reading, I also began to form a bit of a hypothesis about the effect of foreign languages. I found that there seems to be a correlation between studying languages and community service. I understand this may seem as a stretch to many; however, if you look at the benefits of learning a language, they often have to do with being able to communicate to a larger audience and sharing culture. Doing community service in a global setting shares a strong connection with this idea of communicating and exchanging customs.

Another point I’d like to discuss is the TES student’s participation in the National Honor Society, which is an organization for high school students who excel academically and provide leadership and service for their community. I don’t mean to oversell NHS: this is simply their mission. I was able to connect with this TES student, because I too participated in NHS as a high school student at a well-established public school in Massachusetts.  In all honesty, I was not typically fond of the way the NHS at my school was run; however, I appreciated the volunteer opportunities that came from NHS. Many of the volunteer efforts by the TES student stemmed from this National Honor Society mentality as well, although the student performed tasks on a more global level then I did. My school even had a Foreign Language National Honor Society, which I believe accurately presented my hypothesis that studying languages can correlate to community service.

I’d lastly like to address some of the ways that this whole concept of teaching languages might be seen as problematic. Global citizenship can easily become confused with westernization and conquest. I understand that teaching English around the world may seem troubling. In some cases, where political powers are instilling their beliefs upon minorities, there are issues. However, in the case of this TES student, he is simply making a choice to sacrifice his time and share his knowledge for the benefit of others. When discussing learning English himself, the student mentioned: “And in English class, recently we are learning poems and we have to discuss and share the emotions that we feel… I feel very comfortable sharing my experiences and opinions.” By acting selfless and comfortable with language and culture, this student is simply showing what it takes to act as a global .

The main focus of my group’s research project revolves around the different language policies of the Takau English School, in Taiwan. Many elite international schools see globalization as an important issue in today’s world; therefore, our research will look into how various language policies affect students on their paths to becoming global citizens.

The study of foreign language holds a pretty important place in my heart. As a high schooler, I used to think studying French was trivial. I believed it was merely a fun class to go to each day, where I could practice a new accent. However, Colby shipped me off to Dijon, France my first semester Freshman year, and that experience allowed me to discover the true benefits of studying language. It is important to note that I was not a happy camper when I received my acceptance letter from Colby and read “Congratulations! You’ve been accepted into our Global Entry Semester program in France…etc.” My dream had been to go to Colby… not France. I was unable to see at the time how influential starting college in a foreign country would be.

Whenever I describe my experience abroad, I always use the phrase “fast-tracking maturity,” because it’s the best way to describe how that semester impacted me as a student, and as a global citizen. The Fall of 2016 was a heated time politically as well, which impacted my understanding of what it even meant to be a global citizen. Elections in both the United States and France were simultaneously occurring, and the antics of the U.S. election had a major impact on France. It was intriguing listening to my French host family talk about how they felt and listen to how concerned they were. This is the moment I began to realize how connected our world is.

So while looking through the data of the TES school, I began to find a similar sentiment being shared. At TES, they practice many different languages, and one student mentioned that students may face language barriers while trying to connect with other students. By studying foreign languages together, it allows the school to become closer, “like a family.” Another student mentioned that they planned to go to Germany after high school to study language, which I thought was reassuring in terms of how beneficial the students saw the study of languages and culture. A third student even described language as being a “tool, or an instrument,” which I thought seemed like an accurate description.

In conclusion, when you study foreign language you’re not simply memorizing words and letters. Rather, you’re learning about a new culture and new customs or ideas. This certainly depends on how willing the teacher is to discuss more cultural aspects of the language; however, I think it’s pretty common. It certainly helps when you’re studying the language in its actual country of origin, although there are ways to create a global experience wherever you are in the world.