This piece was originally published in BRIGHT here.
Students in Syria are forced to leave their schools for many reasons, but ultimately it boils down to this: it’s simply too dangerous for them to stay, both in school and in Syria.
Their problems don’t end when they arrive in the United States, however. I’ve spoken to dozens of Syrian students about the challenges they face when they enter American classrooms in my work with Books Not Bombs, a student-led campaign to create scholarships for displaced Syrian students across the country. There are an estimated 2,500 college-age Syrian refugees already resettled in America. Last academic year, 783 Syrian students were enrolled in higher education. Homesick, often traumatized, facing culture shock, Syrian high school and college students then also have to adjust to the new ways, language and expectations of a new country. They can’t do it alone. They need help from their teachers and professors.
Here’s what American educators should know so they can better support their students who have lived through war.
First, it’s good to know the two types of immigration status. Students may consider themselves either as displaced people or as refugees, or both. Generally, the difference has to do with legal status. Displaced students will likely have entered the country on student or tourist visas, and then later claimed asylum. Refugee students will have entered the country through the refugee resettlement process. Knowing students’ recent history is a good place to start to understand a student’s specific needs. While it certainly helps to read about refugees in order to prepare for ways you might help a student, each person’s situation is unique, so your first job will be to listen to your student’s story. A student might tell you her family became refugees after their house was bombed, or that she arrived in the country on a student visa and the only way she can stay in school is by trying to find a way to claim in-state residency.
Knowing these details lets you know when to be lenient, and what resources to provide.
Child refugees in America face two main hurdles in excelling in school: economic challenges and language barriers. Newly arrived Syrian families often struggle to make ends meet and initially live month to month. Unlike Syrians who arrive on a visa, resettled refugees do not need to be able to speak English to come to America, which makes it all the more difficult for students when they enter school. Language barriers can be compounded if a refugee family moves to an area in which English is not the main language. During my time as a community activist in Houston, one family was placed in a Spanish-speaking neighborhood and the children had a hard time navigating the mixture of languages spoken at their high school. Out of the three siblings who enrolled in the school, one dropped out to work at a fast food restaurant with her father to help support the family. It was the combination of economic and language challenges that led her to drop out of school.
If Syrian students are studying at a university, chances are they entered America on a visa and are seeking asylum (this is because any college-age refugees who enter through resettlement typically have been out of school for some time). To enroll in university, they already had to have learned English. Syrian refugee students generally do very well when they get into the college classroom because the stakes are high and they’re motivated to do well. However, if students are struggling, the stress is compounded by how much they have to lose — to many, an academic degree is the difference between a comfortable life and a hard life, both for them and their families.
Professors and teachers can help by being lenient when appropriate. Many college students have told me they wish their professors wouldn’t let minor grammatical errors affect their grades, or would be willing to extend homework deadlines when the news cycle on Syria flares up and triggers students’ post-traumatic stress disorder.
A writing tutor and some extra time could mean the difference between an A and a B.
Furthermore, counselors can support Syrian students by making them aware of all the resources available to them on campus, especially the mental health facilities. Syrian students often struggle daily with survivor guilt, PTSD, and an antagonistic political climate, and their performance in school can suffer as a result.
Survivor guilt is especially acute because the mere act of being in school means that the student is propelling himself upward, often while leaving many friends and family members behind in Syria. Sometimes, PTSD can be triggered by events that are mundane to you or me, but remind a student of war. Fireworks can sound like shelling, or a local news helicopter flying over campus can trigger memories of barrel bombings. And if it’s not news of massacres in Syria, then it’s news of Syrians being banned from other countries that is causing distress. One Syrian student I spoke to, an asylum-seeker from Yarmouk Palestinian Camp outside of Damascus who is currently attending George Mason University in Virginia, wrote a blog post about how he has to forget he is Syrian in order to do well in school.
Without a doubt, the main reason why a Syrian student will drop out of high school or college is for financial reasons. One engineering student at Washington State University lost his financial sponsor after a series of low grades, and was forced to leave.
Another student at NYU was only able to stay in school through a GoFundMe campaign — essentially asking people to donate to keep her in school and living in New York.
Figuring out ways to stay in school in the short term might mean finding a job at the school to qualify for tuition waivers, though not many schools will allow a student to do this when it’s clear the intent is to get the degree and not the employment.
A long-term strategy to help keep these students in school would be to create tuition-fee waivers or a displaced student fund through the school, and publicize that commitment by joining the IIE Syria Consortium. I work with students and higher-education professional across the country to do just that, and it’s doable for virtually every type of school. I always suggest campaigners start their work by researching the rules and regulations at their university, and existing opportunities for international students, in order to form a strong pitch to the administration for scholarships. This case studies report will help you build a plan for your own school to support Syrian students in higher education.
Finally, the greatest support an educator can offer a displaced Syrian student is to be a mentor. Sometimes we forget or underestimate the power of mentorship, but it’s essential for any student whose parents haven’t gone through the same education system. Having trusted people tell students that they’re stacking too many difficult credits into one semester, connecting them with jobs or even inviting them over for family holidays, will go a long way to helping these students do well and, ultimately, graduate.