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?