Robyn Edwards
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Adjusting to a new school can be a difficult transition for anybody, especially for young children. Changing their schedule, living in a new home and making new friends can feel overwhelming. For Dr. Robyn Edwards, assistant professor of teaching English to speakers of other languages, the transition was traumatizing.
Moving from Wales to Spain when she was four, Edwards was enrolled into a Spanish speaking public school. She arrived as the only international student and with no comprehension of the language.
"I just remember not understanding anything and feeling very uncomfortable," explains Edwards. "The teachers were really annoyed, so I just sat there and went home, saying 'I don't know.'"
Remembering her struggles academically within a system not designed for multilingual learners, Edwards describes getting by through memorizing her assignment's answers. When she earned an A on an assignment using this method, she realized it was a way for her to pass her classes, even if she hadn't actually learned the material.
It would be two years of being alone, bullied and unable learn, before she eventually had a break through in school.
"I finally made the connection between English and Spanish when the teacher wrote apple on the blackboard. I don't know what happened but I eventually acquired the language because I was so immersed in it. I'll never forget that feeling of just understanding the language."