Foreigner in a Foreign World

Hong Kong is an amazing city.  Not only is it a beautiful, modern city, with more skyscrapers than any other city in the world, it is also full of traditional culture and delicious food.  I’ve gotten a chance to experience this city for the last few days, and it has been a joy.  One night, I went on my own adventure through Hong Kong.  I took the train through town to watch an international badminton tournament, visit the main tourist sites, get food, and return to the hotel.  These thoughts come from my hour-long adventure on the subway as I noticed the people and situations in my surroundings. 

In my country in South East Asia, I don’t feel too much like a foreigner.  I can speak enough of the language to get around, I have expat and local friends, I know where to go, and I generally feel fairly comfortable.  It has become a second home for me; in some ways, more of a home than America.  But that night on the subway, I felt exactly the opposite: I don’t speak the language of Hong Kong (except for “thank you” which I learned from the nice usher at the badminton – it is pronounced “Nn Goh” for those of you who want to learn Cantonese!), I have no friends there, I have no idea where I am going, and I am overwhelmed by the people, the pace, and the cultural differences so very present in this huge city.  We are not in in my country anymore. 

When faced with this difficult and sometimes stressful situation, being a foreigner in a foreign world gives a person two different options.  A person could chose to embrace the challenge, learn from it, and grow mentally, emotionally, and spiritually, or choose to avoid the hard work, run away from the challenge, and lose the opportunity to grow through the differences.  This is a choice, a success-defining choice, that all cross-cultural workers chose before they arrive on the field.  They know the hard work, and they commit to making the foreign become familiar in as many ways as they can.

This same concept, of being a foreigner in a foreign world, is true in education.  If I were to hand my ninth grade music students my Music Theory 4 college textbook, they would be lost.  They would be foreigners in a foreign world, understanding none of the terminology, concepts, or ideas.  They would be as lost as I was on that Hong Kong train.  But through many hours of hard work on my part and theirs, they can become more comfortable with the concepts of Music Theory 4.  I could assign a composition project, and they could use the correct techniques and terminology to create a piece.  They would think more like a musician and less like a ninth grade student.  And once these students see that they are actually understanding, applying, and succeeding in their new “world” of music theory, they gain confidence that they can succeed in other challenging situations as well.  Whether they go on to use their music theory knowledge as they perform in a professional orchestra or just enjoy singing in the church choir is irrelevant: the joy is in the process, and from learning the process, they can find hope and confidence to continue making whatever “foreign worlds” they experience become familiar. 

The same thing happens in history.  History is the study of the past, which presents itself as a foreign world to us.  I know about as much of the culture of France in the 1200s as I do about the public transportation culture in Hong Kong, very little.  Yet both of these places have research, various articles, and case studies written about them, where we can explore their culture and become more familiar.  Again, through persevering in the challenge, we can learn about the foreign culture of the past and become more familiar, as our present world intersects with the world of our ancestors.

At the ACSI Teacher’s Conference I attended in Hong Kong, many presenters talked about the process of education, that the joy and the reason of education is less about the final result and more about the process.  Although certain results are important (you must be able to read by high school graduation to be a successful adult!), I agree with many of these presenters.  In music theory, I understand that these topics will have little influence on the rest of their lives, unless they continue to perform music.  I understand that learning the culture of France in the 1200s is not extremely relevant to the world today.  If you as a student have ever asked yourself “Why are we learning this?” I understand, and even sympathize with you, in certain aspects. 

But through this conference, I’ve gained a new perspective on what is truly important in education.  Because of my previous education, both in cross-cultural work training and my high school and college education, I could navigate Hong Kong by myself.  I could read a map, think critically when I got lost, communicate with who I needed to communicate with, and eventually return home safely.  I could analyze these people, learn from them, adapt to their culture (as much as I could- don’t look at people on the train or else you get really angry looks), evaluate the positives and negatives of their culture, and enjoy the journey of this experience.  Various teachers throughout my educational career have taught me all of these life skills. 

When I think about high school, I don’t remember any one specific lesson that was taught, and I finished high school was only six years ago.  I don’t remember the literature that was read, the specific physics formulas, the choir warm-ups we sang, or the important events from world history.  But what I do remember are the life skills that I learned from these teachers.  I learned to write and communicate effectively, to think critically, to feel empathy for people in different situations, and to give my best effort to accomplish each goal.  In every subject, I had another chance to practice adapting to change, to practice making the unfamiliar more familiar. These lessons have equipped me to be successful as I travel the world, teach, and become a more globally informed citizen. 

So maybe education is all about the process, all about teaching students how to transition and adapt to change.  As we watch each student go from being a foreigner in a foreign world, to an amateur in an comfortable world, or a professional in a enjoyable world, we should encourage his or her growth more than the product, knowing that the process learned and life skills developed will be what each student remembers.  Learning how to adapt, understand, and appreciate other “worlds” will have a lasting effect on the culture and society of our future generations, and influencing these students far past the doors on the classroom or the school should be every teacher’s goal. 

And if I can teach my students to enjoy the “foreign world” of music theory, a world where I find so much joy and understanding, that is an added bonus!

Luke Forshey

November 27, 2016

PS. I welcome your thoughts on this post!  I know this might be a different way of thinking than most teachers, but I’ve been quite inspired by some new thinking at this conference.  If you are a teacher (or even if you aren’t), please let me know your thoughts.  Thanks!