Reflections on The Gift of the Stranger by David Smith and Barbara Carvill

Before reading The Gift of the Stranger I had not truly considered the concept of the other; I had never been presented with the perspective of the host and the stranger. While I believed that whatever a Christian feels called to is his or her personal ministry, whether it be “sacred” or “secular” as some would differentiate, a new perspective of faith and calling has entered my thoughts due to my working through the writings of David Smith and Barbara Carvill in The Gift of the Stranger. Prior to reading, my thoughts on how a Christian should teach language might have been as far-fetched as the quoted “Is there a Christian way to boil water?” My enlightened viewpoint is one of a new lense by which to view scripture, examine my personal view toward the stranger, and critically think through teaching methodology in a traditional second language learner’s atmosphere.

I enjoy both the boldness and yet thoughtfulness seen in the perspectives of Smith and Carvill. From a historical viewpoint the most basic reason for learning a foreign language is found in language education’s connection with world missions. The authors boldly say “though secularists may frown at the very thought, we find nothing odd or inappropriate in seeking to communicate to others a truth that has set us free.” Yet they are also very quick to assert that the missionary endeavor, labeled by Smith and Carvill as the ‘persuader’ aim, must guard against arrogance and undergo a “humble process of learning.” To embrace the stranger is to follow in the footsteps of Paul as he addresses the Corinthian church and says "I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." I desire to continue to reflect on how the truths of the God of compassion who commands that we care for the stranger (Exodus 22:21) may become intertwined in my lifestyle and become the very essence of how I relate to others, how I view political issues, where I choose to live, and how I spend my free time.

During my reading of the text I have begun student teaching in a second level Spanish class at Bradley Central High School. Students’ comments such as “Why can’t they just be normal and speak English?” have not only made me sigh, but also made me think critically about how to implement a love of the stranger. Furthermore, how does one instill a desire and love for a language when most students begin learning at an age level where all of their biases and opinions have already been formed and many are simply concerned with passing a test? Many questions that arose from my readings are still lingering, unanswered queries off in space: how does one teach the average language learner to not only view the stranger with new lenses but also to learn to be a good host? Is it possible to teach this notion? I began to implement some of the concepts highlighted in Chapter eight on Faith and Method due to my inner dialogue with the authors and a personal connection with the problems of the foreign language classroom. Smith speaks of the conviction he felt when a student asked him how to say a certain phrase in German and he asked them to stick to the vocabulary that pertains to the exercise which they were completing. I was able to understand Smith’s dilemma and put into practice the thoughts that emerged from my reading of this illustration. My students were currently studying extracurricular activities and several activities offered at our high school were not listed in the text’s vocabulary. Rather than asking the students to ‘stick to the vocabulary,’ I decided to let them choose about five more words that pertained to their activities to add to the vocabulary and then we erased a few of the words which described activities that the students were not involved in. This is just a small example of the implementation of new thought processes in my personal methodology of language teaching.

I now feel that I can not only critically think on a deeper level about my personal field of study and perhaps my future profession but also offer an informed opinion on the foreign language classroom, second language learners, and what it means to be a stranger and a host. As quoted in The Gift of the Stranger, author Henri Nouwen wrote “If there is any concept worth restoring to its original depth and evocative potential, it is the concept of hospitality.” I don’t believe that before my reading of Smith and Carvill’s work that I would have been able to relate to Nouwen’s statement; however, I now understand the implications of the term hospitality and long to communicate them in love with a fresh perspective to others.