Inside Education and Health Sciences

By Matthew Chandiles '26

Florence, Italy — the home of The David, the birthplace of the Renaissance, and the location of my Summer 2024 study abroad experience. 

I leaped into a whole new place to explore with nothing but two pieces of luggage and a two-week streak on Duolingo where my whole world turned upside down. 

Being born and raised in a primarily white middle-class suburb of ranging socioeconomic status, it wasn't just living in a city for the first time that gave me the shake-up, it was the fact that I felt different for the first time in my life. This permeating sense of malaise and isolation was something I tangibly and vividly felt during my first, second, or maybe even third week of studying in Florence.

I found myself actively trying to hide my Americanness from anyone except my peers in lieu of seeming like a dazed and confused tourist. Although Florence has a fairly globalized population, my small preparations weren't enough for me to feel like I belonged. All this is not to say the experience was not enjoyable, as the flexible class structure and on-site lessons gave me the confidence and freedom to broaden my horizons and increase my intercultural competence. These adaptive experiences gave me the awareness, empathy and hardiness required to reach my goal of becoming a culturally responsive educator who stresses the inclusive values of the Marianist Social Justice pedagogy. Be that as it may, the most crucial thing I gained on this trip was the ability to think critically about how my experiences apply back home. 

Before my study abroad experience, I didn't understand how some children struggle to succeed in the American education system because of who they are. However, the life-changing experience I had in Florence allowed me to empathize and see how important a multicultural education is. Whether it be English Language Learners, first- or second-generation immigrants, or students who have disrupted education, I can now see how a culturally contested life can affect students who are not in the meta-narrative of American schools. 

Florence eliminated my implicit cultural privilege by challenging me to think about how my identity is different and not commonplace for the first time. I have never felt self-conscious about how I display myself or my background, but Florence opened my eyes to something students may experience daily in the schools where I will teach. The United States boasts an extremely diverse student population, that's a truth I have experienced firsthand. Post-Florence, I can think about my privilege critically and apply my experiences from Florence to empathize with students who constantly feel othered where I feel at home. 

My summer in Florence has given me the unique ability as a future teacher to see beyond my ethnocentricity and disrupt narrow-focused teaching. Instilling a sense of belonging in your living community is crucial to what I believe culturally responsive teaching practices should promote, especially in my future social studies classroom. This should be something every future teacher should consider experiencing for themselves: go explore and feel uncomfortable—because that's where the real learning starts.