The book, Unraveling the "Model Minority" Stereotype definitely openned my eyes to Asian American youth issues that I was unaware of. One thing I'm sure we have all heard before is the stereotype that all Asians are smart and great at math and science. Stereotypes have always bothered me because usually there is little truth behind them. Because I know that I try my best to ignore them but apparently there are people that actually believe these stereotypes. The one quote that stuck out to me in this book was, "Despite the diverse educational realities of Asian American students, too many educators and educational policy makers assume that Asian American students are high-achieving model minorities..." (Lee, pg.15) One would think that educated people would not believe in this stereotype but apparently they do and this is what truely creates issues with these students. I dont think it is fair as a teacher to expect something from a student that they may not be capable of. Clearly as this book indicates, some Asian American and particularly some groups struggle more in school than others. Then how could a teacher possibly suggest that, because a student looks of a particular race they should be at the top of the class? Just saying it sounds crazy but to see that people actually think this way really throws me for a loop. In the end they are just doing more damage than anything else.

As a psychology major I am constantly thinking about the way things can affect someone. Stereotypes like this one, although they may seem positive, actually put more pressure on the student and can create low self-esteem and failure in school. So in the end is something as stupid as a stereotype worth this? As a teacher I would focus on making my students understand the truth behind stereotypes. I heard of an interesting activity that a teacher used in the past. They had each student come up with a stereotype about their race that they do not fit into. I would try something like this in my classroom so students can see how false stereotypes are, then go on to discuss that they will be treated as individual in my classroom and the expectations that I have for them are based on their abilities.

My false stereotypes would be... (since I'm multicultrual I guess I need 2)
Hispanic = Hispanics don't speak english very well or not at all (hmm.. I only speak english)
White = White people are all racist (if that was true I probably wouldn't be here!)
(I found these stereotypes online)

Can anyone else think of false stereotypes for themselves?

Week 2

The book we read this week, Children of Immigration, was very eye openning. The majority of the things I thought about I knew about immigration came from the media. Most of us know that we cannot believe everything we read or see in the media and this book definitely illustrated that. It is important to understand that most immigrants are not illegal because many people do not understand this. This also depends on where you live and your interactions with immigrants in that area. I lived in Arizona for 3 years and immigrants were viewed very differently there than they are here. For one, in Arizona it is rare to hear the word immigrant without illegal in the same sentence. Immigration is a very controversial issue out there due to it being a Mexico border state.

I went to Arizona State and actually did a project on illegal immigrant students while I was there. Interestingly enough, my group found out that there is actually an option on the application for illegal immigrants. Also the president of the University admitted that there are illegal immigrant students and that they are welcome to the University because they are known for getting good grades and boosting the school. He also stated that although they cannot receive financial aid, he helps these students find scholarships so they can afford to attend the University. I was so surprised by all of this at the time but when I read this book it touched on some of this. What I found to be the most surprising in this book is how motivated immigrant children are. We hear so often on the news that these children are involved in crime and drop out of school but this book showed just the opposite. Most of the children they talked to said school is the most important and that they like it and want to succeed. This shows the positive side we normally don't see and I find it refreshing. When I hear these things I understand why my old school would open to accepting these students and helping them achieve their goals that might otherwise not be possible.

One other issue that was discussed in this book that I have seen in the media is that immigrants "steal" jobs from Americans. This is a big area of controversy as they discussed in the book. Personally, I think that immigrants take hard labor jobs that most Americans are not willing to do for such low pay. Also, I believe that if these jobs are not done by immigrants in this country then they will be outsourced as many companys have already. In these cases then people from another country end up doing the work either way. Most people do not think of it that way but that is the reality today in this country. The economists that the book spoke about also felt that it was not a bad thing to have immigrants working in the US. Not all people feel this way and of course their are strong claims on each side of the argument but I feel that this book really tried to point out the positives about immigrants being here and the negativity they suffer. Overall, I liked the book and the stories about the different immigrant children.