Towards a Socially Just System of Newcomer School Integration: Syrians 98 in Canada and Germany

Towards a Socially Just System of Newcomer School Integration: Syrians 98 in Canada and Germany Ira Bogotch, Dustin Pappas, Cole Kervin, and Emily Silliman Contents Introduction and Background .................................................................. 2244 Political Wills: Two Nations-One Purpose ..................................................... 2247 Syrian Exodus and Responses .................................................................. 2247 Education and Governance: Canada and Germany ............................................ 2249 A Social Justice Conceptual Framework as the Interplay of Supports and Barriers .......... 2250 A Review of Methods .......................................................................... 2252 Findings: The Interplay of Supports and Barriers ............................................. 2252 Welcoming and Placement ..................................................................... 2253 Language Supports ............................................................................. 2254 Relational Support: Collaboration/Teams ...................................................... 2257 Community: Extracurricular – Supports ....................................................... 2258 Professional Development ...................................................................... 2259 Conclusion ...................................................................................... 2260 References ...................................................................................... 2262 Abstract The Syrian diaspora of newcomers to Canada or Germany represent the more fortunate refugees escaping from civil war, that is, more fortunate in terms of their arrival into two democratic, socialist-oriented societies as opposed to being housed in refugee camps in neighboring Middle Eastern nations bordering Syria. They are also more fortunate in attending schools where Canadian and German educators have had measured successes in integrating previous immigrant populations in schools and communities. Such advantages by themselves, however, I. Bogotch (*) · D. Pappas · C. Kervin Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL, USA e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected] E. Silliman University of Erfut, Erfut, Germany e-mail: [email protected] © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 2243 R. Papa (ed.), Handbook on Promoting Social Justice in Education, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14625-2_75 2244 I. Bogotch et al. do not equate to living and working in socially just systems, particularly today, in 2019. Chancellor Merkel’s government is being challenged by anti-immigration segments of the German population, and it is already determined that before this chapter is published, she will be ousted. Her electoral term ends in 2021. While – as yet – no such formal opposition party threatens Prime Minister Trudeau’sgovern- ment in Canada, integration successes are limited to specific urban areas surrounding Vancouver and Edmonton on the West Coast and in the Province of Ontario, further east. Nevertheless, the polar opposites of transitioning from war to peace, authoritarianism to democracy, and from no schooling to compulsory schooling are all positive steps towards socially just opportunities. Still, below the surface, as a constant reminder to educators, the newcomers struggle with trauma and stress, now and in years to come. The case stories of how Canadian and German educators are managing the welcoming and integration processes inside schools, focusing specifically on the surge of 2016, is the subject of this study. In retelling the stories of educators, those on the frontlines in both countries, we ask readers to consider how national histories, cultures, and politics intersect as both supports and barriers. Writing in 2019, 3 years after the surge, conclusions are still uncertain even as we documented successes and the mutually beneficial exchange of “gifts.” We stop short of drawing definitive conclusions based on our data, as socially just societies cannot happen in such a short period of time. Keywords Syrian diaspora · Refugee education · Social justice · Canada · Germany Introduction and Background By 2016, the civil war and diaspora of Syrian refugees were labeled as “the biggest humanitarian and refugee crisis of our time” (UNHCR, March 15, 2016). In fact, over 6.3 million Syrians sought refuge outside their country as result of war (UNHCR, 2017, 18 June). The majority of Syrian refugees, roughly 92%, took refuge in the neighboring countries of Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey, not knowing when they might be able to return. For others, the destination landed them, by choice and fortunate circumstances, in Canada and Germany. Their journeys and stories are first heard and then translated, literally, by teachers, administrators, social and settlement workers. As researchers, our task was to understand educators’ experiences integrating newcomers, especially how they responded to the physical and psychosocial needs of children and families who had recently experienced trauma. We wanted to capture how they drew strength from the newcomers’ resilience while providing them with care (e.g., Bennett, 2012). Educators have had to manage their own stress, borne from of a commitment to make educational, social, economic, and political differences. Their message was, and still is, one of hope and optimism; it is also a message not often not heard beyond schools by citizens and politicians. Thus, our responsibility is to give voice to their optimism in hopes of disrupting anti- immigrant discourses and hateful narratives now loudly heard around the world. 98 Towards a Socially Just System of Newcomer School Integration:... 2245 The story we heard: They’re able to share with our kids in Canada who have absolutely no idea [although] they may have seen something on T.V. But they have no connection to any of this when... he talks about the bombs fell; and my dad went to get food in the store; and the store was blown up; so dad came home with no food; and we couldn’t go outside; and you know we went to this camp; and then we got on a plane; and we came to Canada. Sometimes, what we heard did not fit our presuppositions. One German educator stated: We have a great range of diversity, and this range of diversity is why we are equipped to cope with these refugees. To our ears, as US researchers, the connotations of the word diversity and Germany did not fit together smoothly. True, a sign on the wall of one secondary school we visited read that it had been welcoming newcomers since 1994, and another sign read (see Fig. 1): “a school without racism is a school with courage.” Although the signs we saw espouse multiculturalism, we wondered whether the prioritizing of German language achievement allowed educators to recognize the need to embrace students’ cultural identities. In fact, very often when we used the word Syrian, the German teachers corrected us in saying all immigrant students. But prior to 2016, the history of immigration in Germany, post-World War II, was characterized by its guest worker policies, particularly immigrants from Turkey. There are over three million Turks, many in their second and third generations. With each successive generation, the data suggest they are better educated, have higher professional status, and speak better German. Yet, even after 40 years, according to Faruk Sen (2003), it is still not possible to declare integration a success. How does this history inform our work with Syrian newcomer integration? Fig. 1 This German sign hangs in diverse schools only 2246 I. Bogotch et al. With that question in mind, we are aware that a majority of our readers are, like us, from the USA. It is the USA, with its history of and capacity for immigrant resettlement, that has historically and culturally defined the term diversity. Yet, we all know that the USA today has all but closed its door to Syrian refugees and other immigrant groups. Today’s Trumpian reality contrasts greatly with the treatment of refugees as newcomers in both Canada and Germany. Despite the differences between Canada and Germany, they both still provide social, political, and economic safety nets to naturalized citizens and unnaturalized residents soon to become citizens. One cannot ignore the differences between socially democratic govern- ments in contrast to the USA and its “welcoming” to immigrants and asylum seekers, now and in the past. In other words, we see messages and lessons that our partici- pants can teach the USA and the world. Another key point inside these comparisons is that research studies on US immigration, migration, and refugees have not always lived up to the promises and dreams of coming to America. To be clear, the contexts surrounding US-centric models are often described by the “place” of refugees in terms of discrimination and racism of the wider and dominant society. This cited research is often coupled with descriptions of inadequate teacher preparation programs and the lack of skills and credentials of teachers working with immigrants, migrants, and refugees. Dominating this US-centric literature is the focus on Mexican-American border crossings and the experiences of African-Americans. These two culturally relevant points of reference often subsume the unique and diverse nationalities, languages, and cultures of immigrants/refugees under essentialized headings of Hispanic and Black (see Faltis & Valdes, 109th NSSE Yearbook, Issue 2, 2010). To be

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