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Strategies
for more effective interactions with students
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Call
me by name- I don’t mind you asking for help in pronunciation, but show
me you care by making an effort.
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Hear
my story- If you are a good listener, you might understand how different
my reality is from yours. You will also find what we have in common.
I aspire to success.
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Ask
me open ended questions- If you ask me only “Yes” or “No”
questions, I may not be able to express if I am confused.
My culture may make me uncomfortable answering questions with a
“no” answer.
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Confirm
my understanding after our conversation.
“So, what did we decide today?” will help me to articulate my
understanding of what happened.
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If
I don’t understand you, repeat the information patiently for me, or in a
different way. You don’t need to
speak loudly if my English is not perfect, my hearing ability is probably fine.
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I’m
probably not very good at self-referrals. Help
me with this. Call somebody or walk me over to another office.
I get tired of being sent from place to place and will just give up
rather than to face the questions in yet another office.
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I
can be a resource to you. Don’t hesitate to ask me for help when you don’t
understand something about students. I
love to help, just like you do.
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Please
be honest with me when YOU are confused or frustrated.
Let’s talk about it and it will help both of us.
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Sometimes
I want your advice. I may not have
a lot of experience in this culture and you have much experience and authority. I know you want to respect my individuality and independence,
but sometimes I might want your wise advice.
Isn’t that why you work for the University?
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If
I don’t understand or follow the rules, please take the time to show me what
is so obvious to you. Sometimes your rules are more important than people.
If you cannot give me what I want, that’s ok, but please explain why.
Prepared by Bob Ericksen
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