It is important for people, especially at a young age, to have a sense of belonging among their peers. That was an idea I kept in my mind when I was volunteering at a church summer camp for elementary school kids.
I noticed a girl sitting alone in the corner while the other kids were playing. A teacher had told me that Chinese was her main language. I thought back to when I first arrived in the United States, it took me half a year to speak English fluently and get rid of my accent. During that half year period, I was isolated from my peers. I was not going to let the girl feel excluded because of a language barrier. In order to have her open up more, I spoke Chinese with her and incorporated bits of English. Then I tried to include her
I noticed a girl sitting alone in the corner while the other kids were playing. A teacher had told me that Chinese was her main language. I thought back to when I first arrived in the United States, it took me half a year to speak English fluently and get rid of my accent. During that half year period, I was isolated from my peers. I was not going to let the girl feel excluded because of a language barrier. In order to have her open up more, I spoke Chinese with her and incorporated bits of English. Then I tried to include her