January 22, 2008 

As I read these two articles little sparks of memory were flashing constantly.  Some from my childhood and some from my years teaching.  When I was in school, it seemed to me at the time that all Asian children fit these stereotypes.  As it states in You’re Asian, How Could You Fail Math, “…Asian-American students are supposed to be devoted, obedient to authority, respectful of teachers, smart, good at math and science, diligent, hard workers, cooperative, well-behaved, docile, college-bound, quiet, and opportunistic.” (p.1)  I used to believe this so I thought all Asian children were just smart and shy.  As I look back upon these early years in my life I know now that these were stereotypes that I had formed.  It wasn’t until I was in high school that I realized that this was not true of all Asian people.  It is difficult to admit and I am still a little embarassed by this.  However, I am proud to say that my outlook has changed and I reflect this today in my teaching.

As a teacher, I revisit my childhood feelings and realizations quite a bit.  I try to be more culturally aware as a teacher than I was as a student.  I have taught several Asian-American students in my short seven years of teaching.  I have come across several who were very bright, some who struggled academically, some who were quiet and reserved, a few who were out-spoken and risk takers, and a few who struggled with their behavior.  When I would speak to some of my Asian students, they would not look me in the eye.  I accepted this.  I realized that in some cases that this is part of their culture and I respected that.  I feel that as an educator I need to be aware of all the different cultures that I teach and ways that I can make each and every child feel a part of the classroom.  I think one way of  doing this is through the culture quilt assignment.  This would help me to get a “snapshot” of where my students are from and some of their cultural background as well as making everyone feel a part of the classroom environment.  I think it is important as an educator not to judge or stereotype anyone based on their culture, but to accept and appreciate what each unique student brings to the classroom.