Thursday, June 14, 2012
Reflection #3
The part of Unraveling the Model Minority Stereotype by Stacy J. Lee the most was the section on Korean students. I could see this same stereotype in a Vietnamese friend of mine from my hometown. She was always very driven in school, and in conversation would mention that her her parents were strict about grades, would prefer she stay in to study instead of go out at night or after school with friends. I remember she was a bit difficult to make plans with too. I was surprised at the motivation these parents had for their children and good grades. This stereotype was one I had just accepted and never given much thought to, but the reason behind all of the pressure for good grades was surprising to me. Getting the highest grades was a way to prove how smart and successful Korean people were, and a way to earn the respect of white people. It makes some sense when one thinks about white people being as abundant as they are in the United States, but why the respect of white people? Why not the respect of people in general? I don't quite understand why the respect of white people is desirable.
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I've had a similar experience with a friend who was pushed to be a model minority. He was born in America but his parents grew up in India. He did not get very good grades in high school and his parents would get very upset and push him very hard to do better. Teachers also would seem to be disappointed in him when he did not get great grades on tests. I never took time to think about how hard that must have been on him because he had to live up to the stereotype that we have in America of a model minority.
ReplyDeleteI think the reason the respect of white people is so important is because white people are seen to hold the power in this country. It is unfortunate because everyone who lives here is American, but white people hold powerful positions and have the power to allow others into the top tier. As teachers, we are going to be viewed as holding the power and I think it's important to remember, always, to encourage all students to seize power over their own lives and challenge society.
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