In this weeks reading, the focus was on "Asian" students. I have that in quotes there so as to save time and not have to explain all the different identities within the reading.
The beginning chapters were particularly enlightening. The Asian friends that I have are Korean. They identify as Korean but also identify as Asian. I found the idea of Korean superiority funny in a way. It brought to mind a comment that my best friend made one day. I was telling a story and I said "You definitely know who I'm talking about. She's very short, Asian..." My friend then asked if she was Korean and quickly explained that you can tell if someone is Korean because "They are clean. If they aren't clean then they are some other kind of Asian." While this is totally un-PC, this is something that I am used to. My friend and I fall into all kinds of "minority" groups and don't tend to be oversensitive. We both share the belief that if you can't laugh at the stupidity of others and their uses and beliefs in stereotypes, what's the point. She would regularly walk down the street and upon seeing a dog say loudly (enough for the owner to hear) "Yum, dinner!"
I realize, of course, that this is a very different situation than most high schoolers find themselves in. I have very few Asian students. Last year of my 120 students, only one was Asian. This year, I have two Asian students, both Cambodian. I try not to expect more from them than everyone else and I think that I have succeeded. I am, however, guilty of praising their good behavior. Not on the basis that they are well behaved because they are Asian. I have many Latino / Hispanic students who are well behaved as well. I think that it is crucial NOT to pigeonhole students into stereotypes. Yes, both students are certainly quiet and well behaved. I even described one of them as a "gem" to another teacher, but I am unsure of how much that has to do with race / ethnicity.
Just as with every reading, I tried to connect this reading to my experiences and the experiences of my students. While Asians are portrayed as "model minorities" who do well because their families value education, Latinos are viewed as a problem minority whose parents don't value education. This is a sentiment that I have heard echoed countless times by teachers and administration. For me, that is a fall back excuse. According to the research cited in both books, immigrants in general value education. Just as their are academically minded students, their are low achieving students. These categories don't depend on race.
To wrap up, I find that the common thread that has tied the readings together is that success in schools has less to do with race and more to do with what generation of "Americans" students are. This idea keeps popping up in the readings. It doesn't seem, though, that there is a key to guide us. While Latino / Hispanic parents don't want their children to become Americanized, Asian parents, particularly Korean parents, do. In the end, this reading has left me with a lot to think about, but no immediate answers.
I'm also left a little puzzled with the idea of becoming "Americanized," as the diversity textbook points out how beneficial a two-way immersion style class can be to its students. If this ends up being the model that public schools embrace (the book suggests they should, too), members of the class would be encouraged to learn the culture of the society they are in, and provide other students with knowledge of the culture of where they are from. How would this affect "Americanization" in the classroom, if the classroom itself is supporting the cultures of its diverse student body? This could be the perfect response to those who would oppose "Americanizing" their children.
ReplyDeleteI also think that it is very important to not pigeonhole students into the stereotypes of their race. It can get in the way of student progression if we categorize them like that. As you said, doing so is an excuse to not put in the effort to help the students succeed. It gets even harder for us when some students start to associate performing well in school as a negative.
ReplyDeleteI can appreciate that you don't pigeonhole students in your classroom. I teach in a school that has a Latino population of over 50% and often I see that the teachers get annoyed by students referring to thing in Spanish or relating them back to their heritage, likewise that their attitudes are a problem because they are Latino and they don't have a regard for Authority. I've been very lucky in that my cooperating teachers do not have this viewpoint. They both treat their students as if they are all the same and even relates some of their lessons to Spanish and other languages. For instance, one of my students in the band asked what crescendo poco a poco meant (get louder little by little) and another student asked if it was similar to the meaning in Spanish, and my cooperating teacher said "Yes, so if you know what it means in Spanish, it's pretty much what it means in the Italian it's written in." I think that embracing the ethnicity of our students instead of inviting stereotypes into our classroom makes for a very encouraging learning environment and I applaud your ability to do so. :)
ReplyDeleteLanguages themselves help to discern cultural differences between the larger "lumped" (Lee's accurate phrase) groups. Taiwanese, Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese and others help to show that differences indeed exist "within" these larger "lumped" groups.
ReplyDeleteAs educators, should we not acquire more than one language?
I would hope that as Americans, that we know more about various Native American cultures, as well.
While New York, New Hampshire, etc., are derived from English place names, Massachusetts, Dakota, Minnesota, Mississippi, Alabama, Delaware are those from Native Americans.
And, of course, Spain had influence here as well: Colorado, Montana, Florida, etc.
Within your various school districts, would another language or expanding Native American subjects and/or history be considered "taboo," "wasting precious class time," or a "disconnect with the school culture?"
For myself, it already has been interesting to see some reactions.