I am a teacher of refugees. Their families came to our country like so many families before them for better lives, education, better medical care and, in the words of one of my wise students, “so that we can be safe, so that we can always feel safe.”

My students and their families arrived this summer. They are bravely experiencing this new world and are rapidly learning to be kids in America. They proudly wear their hijabs to school. We talk about what it is like to be a Muslim and we talk about what it’s like for me to be Jewish and their friends who are Christian, Hindu and atheist.

They learn English and I learn some Arabic. They are learning Spanish, too, and they love it. During one of our many discussions about their home culture and our culture, one of my students commented, "We are really more the same than different, don’t you think all kids want the same thing?”

Once again such wisdom from a child is astounding. My students enrich my life every day and in so many ways, I feel so honored and fortunate to be their teacher. They are gifts to our school community. Their families came for the same reasons my grandparents came here from Romania in the early 20th century: for freedom from persecution, for safety and a better future for their families.

My teaching career has been centered around helping students from all over the world to learn English and become a unique thread in the quilt that is our American culture. Each new culture I encounter enriches my life and my heart. Our school is deeply enhanced by all our students who come from many cultures, learning and playing together in our unique quilt.

This is my America, not the purulent, vile hypocrisy coming from our present government. As has been said often, we are a nation of immigrants, which has made us strong. Rise up and be heard.  It is time. We need to fight for our children and our future.

Sue Goldstein is an English Language teacher and coach at the Regional Multicultural Magnet School in New London.