Discussion with USCRI

 On September 27th, 2021 (1st semester of my Junior year) I attended a talk through Teaching Fellows with Anna Marie Bena, Vice President of USCRI, and Hila Moss, Managing Attorney of USRI. They spoke about their experiences working with children who cross the border unaccompanied as well as the experiences of the children and teachers involved. I was personally inspired by both of their dedication to working with these children and especially Hila Moss who taught herself Spanish to better help the Spanish-speaking students she works with. I learned from both of them that if there is a student that you cannot help at any point in your teaching career, there are probably people out there who can help. As teachers, it is our responsibility to think about how to get the resources needed to help the children that need it. This discussion also got me thinking deeper about some of the issues I will have to face as a teacher of students who are refugees or immigrants. For one, many students have to wait 4-5 years for a green card, and even then, some of them get denied. Another difficulty is that I will have a whole classroom of students to focus on, not just those who are immigrants or refugees, so I will have to find a way to give each of my students the attention and help they need. Now that I am more aware of what these students are facing and some of the ways I can help, I feel more equipped to teach and build relationships with these students in the future.