On September 13, 2011, Anna Deavere Smith, an actress, playwright, and teacher, graced Goshen College with her presence in sharing a powerful program. Smith’s program, known as, Glimpses of America in Change, is made up of a series of stories from citizens across America. These stories include those of a diverse number of people. Smith shares stories of Asian Americans, African Americans, European Americans, Latin Americans, and many others. Anna begins this process with an interview where she intently listens to the story of a selected person. She records the interview and continues to listen as she becomes acquainted with that person’s story. This process allows Anna to accurately portray a person’s story for people across America and across the world. Smith’s program then, consists of an array of stories that create a new picture of America. The stories that Smith shared at Goshen College reflected an America of brokenness. The stories from people of multiple races showed evidence of inequality and pain. Smith shares though, that our willingness in listening to these stories and to those of people around us, is one of the first steps in healing some of America’s brokenness. Smith challenges us as Americans to intently listen, hear, and appreciate the stories of people that surround us daily.
As an audience member, listening to the stories that Smith shared was eye opening. Some of the stories seemed as if they could not have occurred in America, but in some other country. As I listened, the pain that these stories revealed was repeatedly stunning. We as Americans tend to base our judgments upon first impression or off of a single experience when we should be listening to the stories of those that surround us. While these stories were difficult for me to hear, I was also inspired by the work of Anna Deavere Smith. I highly respect Smith’s passion in sharing these stories and in helping others to learn the importance of listening before judgment. Smith’s program challenged me to improve my listening skills and to love those around me for who they truly are.
This lesson can be used in my life every single day. I am frequently given opportunities to hear stories of the people that surround me, and often, I deny this opportunity. The change starts in making an effort to stay present in a given conversation. I have found that it is easy to become distracted while someone else is speaking. Often, my mind is elsewhere and therefore; I forget to listen. These opportunities should be taken advantage of. If a person is speaking, I might as well hear their words, because whether I listen to them or not, time will pass. If I am spending time with some one, why not listen? Why not hear what they have to say?
This experience has helped me to become more aware of active listening in everyday conversations, and in deeper conversations. I have found that when I take time to thoroughly listen to someone’s story, even if they seem different from me, each person is truly a beautiful human being. This realization is incredibly important to remember as a teacher. I desire to show each student in my classroom that they are worthy of being heard, worthy of sharing their gifts, and worthy of love. Children need to know that someone cares to listen and that someone truly believes that they can succeed, no matter who the student is and where they come from.
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