Methods of Caring: A Case Study of Imposition
Most educators want their students to care about what’s happening in the world around them—in their communities, their schools, their relationships. They want students who are serious about building a better world.
So how do you teach students to care? How do you instill a sense of stewardship and responsibility, not only for themselves but also for a community cause? How do you tackle the gigantic challenges we face as a society—poverty, racial disparity, or environmental degradation? How do you encourage action?
To answer these questions, I would like to share Stacey’s story. It’s a story that raises questions about “caring,” whether it should be taught, and how.
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She was a college sophomore embarking on her first international trip, destination Dominican Republic, where she sought Spanish language immersion. For two weeks she stayed in a remote, mountainous village, in homes without electricity. Her hosts served her generously, always piling more food on their best china. And while they sat in the chairs, benches, and stools around her, she enjoyed the best seat in the house. The children fawned over her with open smiles and giggles. They carried her water bottle, held her hand, and combed her hair. The experience transformed her.
She was given so much, and yet at the same time, she pitied her hosts for what she perceived as a lack of material possessions. The bedsheets were tattered, the pillows not really what she would call pillows, and the walls so cracked that she could see outside. You see, most homes in the village had dirt floors, tin roofs, and outdoor latrines. Her response to this dual poverty and generosity—a very natural response for many—was a desire to give back.
When she returned to the states she applied for a $20,000 grant to build a health clinic. If built, the clinic would provide the village with far easier access to treatment. Previously, they had to cross the river several times and travel more than two hours to the nearest hospital. During heavy rains this trip was grueling. In the grant application, she shared how poor these people were and how badly they needed the clinic.
She received the grant and returned to the Dominican village to share her surprise during a Sunday church celebration—hoping that everyone would be present. Meanwhile, the village had begun its own electricity project. Electrical lines were being laid in the neighboring village and everyone was excited, but they needed to raise funds for the transformers, cable lines, etc.
As in the past, the town came together to organize and complete the project. In fact, they were well known for their collective spirt, having built the best water system in the area. They said their successes were because each and every person in the town carried their weight. One person by themselves could not do it, but together they could. So, they generated a list: Juan’s family would donate 3,000 pesos to help buy the materials, Pedro would provide three wooden poles for the cable line, cut from his farm, Victoria would cook 2 meals per day for those providing the labor, Miguel would provide five days of labor, Patricia would obtain a donation from an uncle living in the States, so on and so forth. In short, each and every person was required to give something.
Coincidentally, they chose to present their list on the exact same Sunday as Stacey. Everything went smoothly at first. The village began with the electrical project, outlining what each family would donate. Most volunteered to double their contribution. The one exception was Juan, who claimed that his finances weren’t great. Some of the other villagers laughed, because Juan had a reputation for being the stingiest man in the village. Moreover, everyone also knew that he was the wealthiest villager of all. In fact, based on the contributions of everyone else, proportional to their total income, he was being asked to give relatively little.
In past situations like this one, the village would eventually convince him to donate his fair share. As Dorita said, he would “eventually take his hand out of his pocket, stop caressing his money and give it up.” But today something different happened. Stacey, who was listening to Juan, asked if she could speak. Her Spanish had improved but it was still at a basic level. They invited her to the front.
“I wanted to wait but I will tell you now because I feel bad for Juan. He’s so poor. He says he doesn’t have the money to give. But you keep telling him to give it. I don’t understand how you can ask someone so poor, to give so much.”
Several people laughed. Juan nodded. His wife momentarily looked down, she then nodded her head as well. Stacey continued, “I have the money. I’m building a health clinic and I think we can help with the electricity.”
Daniel, one of the organizers of the electrical project, asked, “When could you have the money?”
She said, “Soon. Maybe within the year.”
Juan put his hand in the air. His wife clapped and several people joined in. Then everyone started talking. A few stood up. Just like that, the meeting was over and everyone left.
Daniel stood outside the church with a frown on his face. Those who assisted in creating the project list stood with him. They all began talking.
“They acted poor, but only when she said they were poor. Let me talk about being poor.”
“But she said ‘I think.’ When will it be done? A year?”
“We could have gotten everything together and started next week. We could have had electricity by the end of the following week.”
“But let’s still do it. Why not? Can’t we still get the money?”
“Not without Juan’s support and his sons won’t help without him and his wife’s family will also hold out.”
“I didn’t know the devil was white.”
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This story raises a number of questions:
What are the goals of international travel exchanges? Are they just about improving Spanish or do we need to have a greater focus on other social, economic, cultural factors? How do you encourage more mindful exchanges?
How can we create authentic dialogues?
What does it mean to care for someone? How do we teach this?
If you can’t identify with another and truly understand where they’re coming from, then how can you care for them?
Can care be debilitating?
Who holds the power in this case and how can power be more equally distributed?
What should be the goal in these types of exchanges?
And finally, how and where does change begin?
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