The amount of difficulties and stereotypes that the children of immigration must face is overwhelming. One of the things that bothered me the most while reading the book was some of the teachers views of immigrant students. Some view them as unintelligent, lazy, and more likely to get into trouble (127). These teachers blame the students for their difficulties instead of helping them overcome the issues that they face. I believe the biggest problem here is that the teachers lack education about these students. They need to see that these students are not lazy but that they are facing a language barrier and other cultural barriers. These teachers need to recognize these difficulties and find ways to help students deal with these issues and flourish in school.
Another thing that struck me during my reading was the family dynamics in immigrant families. Many of the children are forced to take on the role of the parents because they know English. this takes away the luxury of being a teenager and makes it difficult for them to have time to study and have a social life. Their parents' fears of Americanization can also can open the door to bullying and put the students into social exile. In high school differences are not looked upon fondly and when parents do not want the children to conform and become like their classmates they are setting them up to be outsiders. This can also make it difficult for students to make friends, which can make high school a living hell. I think school need to make efforts to help immigrant students make connections and educate other students about the cultures of immigrant students to help them be better accepted. If the students have a sense of belonging and acceptance they are better set up to succeed in academics.
Schools need to do more to educate both their students and their teachers about immigration and the children of immigration. If the students are informed about the differences in culture and the difficulties that their fellow students may face they would be more likely to accept them and help them through their experience. Teachers nee to learn how to help students overcome their difficulties in both their academic and personal lives. The children of immigration will be able to succeed better in school with a feeling of a support system.
The realization that some of these students have to act almost like parents with their own parents is striking. It's also sad that they don't have the oppurtunity to be a kid. It's the same for any student that is forced to grow up quickly, it just isn't fair and I think teachers in those instances need to make sure that they create a place in their classrooms where these kids can be kids and let go of some of the stress and reponsibilities for a little while.
ReplyDeleteI also found your mentioning of bullying important. It really is a problem right now and you're right that parents not letting their children assimilitate does make them a target for bullying.