During this next visit we followed the same format of classes we went to.  First my partner and I went to the special needs class, followed by Biology, and lastly learning skills.  Upon arrival to the special needs class we were surprised when many of the students remembered our names.  Earlier in the day the special needs students had a bake sale, so during this class the students were busy cleaning up after the bake sale.  In Biology class the students were working on a lab on fossils.  I noticed that during this lab the students, mainly the Asian students, that had the lowest English skills and needed the most help did not ask for help.  The best speakers of English of the group, particularly the Africans, often asked for assistance.  After Biology came learning skills.  In this class again many students did not work on much homework, and mainly chatted in little groups or doodled on a piece of paper to pass time.  My partner and I helped the few who were actually doing homework, and once they were done we just tried to talk with the students.  They seemed to be warming up to us, but the conversations did not go in depth.  At the end of class the bell rang, and we all left.

 

            In the Biology class, the two different groups gave an example of their tolerance for ambiguity, the ability to respond to new and uncertain situations.  The African students had a high tolerance for ambiguity.  They were more comfortable with the new experience, knew they needed some help and were not shy to ask for it.  These students faced the lab head on and accepted the challenge.  The Asian students on the other hand had a lower tolerance.  They did not know how to do the lab exactly either, but seemed afraid to communicate this and seemed nervous asking for help.  Their lack of English skills probably contributed to this.  The two groups responded differently to the new challenge they faced.

            One reason why the Asian students did not want to ask for help was concern for face.  They wanted to maintain their face value they had and not lose face.  Perhaps they believed that asking for help was not honorable or maybe showed weakness.  I believe they were more concerned with the English speaking portion of it.  I think that they believed if they could not speak or understand the English we were speaking then they would lose face to me from their inability.  Of course I helped them to the level they were comfortable with and did not show any agitated or annoyed behaviors towards them.  I stayed friendly and hopefully they know I was not judging them for not knowing English well, and they did not lose any face from it.

            These experiences have taught me a few things.  People will not always feel comfortable in new situations.  People may need help but are not comfortable asking for it.  I have learned that personally when I see someone struggling, I should see if I can help sometimes without others asking for it because they may be shy and not know how to communicate it.  Also when giving help I should make the others feel comfortable with my help, and not make them feel inferior or less than me because of the help needed.  This will give them courage to seek help in the future.