Still pondering

I am still thinking about the incident where I sort of instigated the change in groupings in one of my modules. I felt very uncomfortable with a group of people from the Chinese Ed module and I do not want to work with them. Looking at the demands of the modules and the assignment, I thought that it would be most effective and efficient to work in a group where there would be no communication barriers and no time-tabling barriers.

I finally found a group of three others where we do not have any of the barriers and we work in a rather efficient manner.

Yet, I still wonder if I had sent the message of discrimination. Most people would say that teachers should not discriminate, especially when you are trained to teach Social Studies. God says that we should not stereotype and discriminate too.

But my experiences have made me act otherwise. I predicted that if we worked with them, we would end up doing most of the work and editing. I had made the assumption that they would not be able to contribute based on their command of the English language. I hold firmly to the belief that when one is in a foreign country and working and living there, one should make sure that one can contribute and not depend on the host for hand-outs. While the locals may help to orientate the newcomers during the initial stage and perhaps in special situations, I feel that it is the newcomers' job to assimilate and adopt the practices and expectations of the locals. They may still keep their practices but the practices of the locals should take priority. Assimilation also includes changes in behaviour to fall into the acceptance zone of the locals.

My experiences with them have been negative. I find them loud, dirty,rude, ignorant and insensitive. Well, locals are like that too, one may say that.

Especially after the episode where they debated and lobbied for the rights to work here while keeping their children company during their studies. Logically, if you are here to look after your children while they pursue an education, you have roles and responsibilities to fulfil. You should have done your calculations and made sure that you are able to survive in a foreign land and not blame the locals for being discriminatory. In a market where jobs are scarce, locals would of course want to protect their survival and exercise their sovereignty. What would happen to the locals if so many foreigners come in and take away their jobs, on the assumption that both are equally able to perform?

Think about the social impact with their arrival. Vice, criminal activities and social disruptions have occurred and they occur in really ridiculous settings.

With all this, how do you expect the locals to trust the newcomers? There may be exceptions, but how is one to know which one is the exception. There is nothing written on their foreheads or face. Even so, can we take it so literally?

Oh God, please help me rationalize this! Amen.