winter 2007 - Concord Academy

(continued from page 27)can liberate a student, uncovering another self, a freerself. From her own experience, Bedell describes “analmost idealized form of identity,” one in which shecan toss off the baggage of home. “Leaving behind thelanguage of your early selfhood allows a new start,”she explained.When Bedell travels to France, after a few days she feelsher fluency return, and she is transformed. “I need tobe immersed three or four days,” she said. “When I getthat far I begin to feel a little bit different. I am different.I experience the world differently in French than inEnglish.”David RostThat insight has helped Bedell realize that internationalstudents may be navigating much more than foreign lan -guage and culture. “For some kids, part of what they’renegotiating is a new self,” she said.For science teacher Gary Hawley, the effect of languagestudy and travel has been equally profound, affectinghim as both teacher and person. “It’s changed mecompletely, in every way,” Hawley said of his 2005–06academic year in Oaxaca, Mexico.Determinedly ensconced in a new culture, he foundthat even the simplest encounters had the power toturn his priorities upside down. One day, for example,Hawley was watching a mechanic fix his car and grewincreasingly agitated as the man repeatedly walkedacross the room to his toolbox. After about an hour,Hawley couldn’t stand it any more. Why not move thetoolbox closer to the car? Hawley suggested. Themechanic calmly declined; as far as he was concerned,the toolbox was where it belonged.Hawley ended up spending most of the day with themechanic, for a job that might have taken ninety minutesin the States. He had lunch with the man, discoveredthat he had learned his trade in Dallas. Along with hismechanic’s life story, Hawley discovered a new perspectiveon time. “In Mexico,” he said, “time isn’t wasted ifyou’re with someone else.”Seemingly mundane experiences like that led Hawley tolook at people, including his students, as complex storiesworth exploring. He now moves through life moreslowly, taking time to get to know people, even thosehe’s worked with for years. He has developed new closefriendships with old colleagues, explaining, “I didn’t takethe time to see them in the way I do now.” In the classroom,students he once found merely interesting are nowbundles of stories to examine. He finds that students’Since returning from Mexico, science teacher Gary Hawley sees each student as a complexbundle of stories.personal anecdotes constantly infiltrate his freshmanbiology class. “It makes me want to do the coursedifferently next year, based on stories about ourselves,”he said.When teachers like Hawley inspire students with theirenthusiasm for foreign cultures or languages, it underscoresthe love of learning so vital to CA’s credo.Naturally, CA’s foreign language teachers regularlyinspire a love of foreign languages and cultures. Somespeak several languages and have lived in a variety offoreign countries. French teacher Nicole Fandel, whocame to the U.S. from Belgium at age twenty-two, understandshow hard living in a foreign land can be. “That’swhy I look after the international students,” said Fandel,who advises the International Student Organization.“Food, dress, the way you address teachers and parents.How we write and how we direct our arguments.” Shelists the cultural shocks faced by international students.Among faculty outside the language department, Mathe -matics Department Head George Larivee may be bestknown for his language passion. He studied German in29WWW.CONCORDACADEMY.ORG WINTER 2007