2/8 Reading

Hi,
Lee's Unraveling the Model Minority Stereotype complimented the previous week's reading well, as it took a more focused approach to how immigration effects a specific population, in this case Asian immigrants.  The most ridiculous thing about the book was that many teachers believe Asian students do not need as much attention during class or help because they are fine with the material and their efforts are better put to use with other immigrant children.  I found it shocking that teachers bring these sorts of stereotypes with them into the classroom.  Another way in which this book highlighted issues from the previous reading, Children of Immigration, is that it brings up issues of identity again.  The book dismisses the assertion that Asians are a model minority void of problems and able to easily succeed, citing many studies about how Asian children are torn about their identity.  Are they white? Are they black?  I could not imagine being a young student and having to deal with such issues.
Furthermore, the book brought to light the complexities of the diversity of the Asian immigrant population.  For example, students from Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam all differ greatly in many ways including culturally.  These differences really opened my eyes, as I had never considered the great diversity within the Asian population before.  I found it interesting that some Asians identify with their native cultures, while others identify with American culture of a pan-Asian culture.  The book again highlighted just how complex identity of immigrants really is.  It helped me learn about students of different backgrounds and I really hope once I get into a classroom I am culturally sensitive, unbiased, and do not make assumptions about students of different cultures.  Overall, I felt as though this book was a more focused study of the one we read for the previous week.  One of the most interesting parts of the reading was the segment which discussed how different students perceive race, going from the white student, to the black student, to the Asian student's perspectives.  It amazed me just how different these perspectives on race were in the modern times and shows that race issues are still relevant today, something I had denied for a long time though I still think they are overstated.
Concerning the reading from chapter seven in Affirming Diversity, I felt that the new ways of helping students acquire English were particularly useful.  It is shocking that it took this long to figure out a way to help ELL students truly learn, putting the politics aside.  For example, it seems blatant to me that ELL students should be able to use their native languages in the classroom to understand content.  Otherwise, you are taking away their most comfortable form of communication.  It seems obvious that teachers should embrace their student's culture and language to help them learn the new American language of English rather than alienating them.  In all the ways America has moved forward, it is shocking how stuck in the past and caught up on culture wars the nation still is today rather than trying to really help our students learn.