As teachers, we need to be so aware of our students and their individual social, cultural, learning, and personal identities.  It can be very difficult to manage a classroom and meet all the needs of such complex learners.  It can also be very difficult for children with all of these varying influences to see where they “fit in”.  Children are constantly “constructing” their own learning based upon their experiences and backgrounds.  Undoubtedly, that may look very different from child to child.  How, do we as educators, make sense of all this and bring our students together into a community of learners, where they feel safe, challenged, and willing to take risks for the pursuit of learning?  It can seem like a tremendous undertaking for one teacher.  I think it all hinges on balance…just as in life.  There will be times when your lessons appeal to your kinesthetic learners, other times your auditory learners, and still other times your more abstract thinkers.  Some lessons may be culturally diverse while others teach to the mainstream population.  Group work versus individual work, centers versus teacher directed, it is not a one-size-fits-all curriculum and teaching methodology!  It sounds very cliche’, but I still believe that it is our responsibility to prepare our students to be contributing members of today’s society.  Deeply rooted in that is the ability to be able to speak, read, and write in English.  I am not suggesting that we extinguish all other cultures and languages!  We have to achieve “balance”.  We need to continue to celebrate our differences and more importantly focus on what we have in common.  “Well balanced”, successful children can reap the benefits of strong cultural, familial, religious, and learning communities.  It takes a whole village to raise a child…

We, as educators, have an awesome responsibility in educating today’s youth.  I really like how Freire ended his 4th letter in reference to “happy-joyful schools”.  Schools that are willing to take risks and passionately embrace life help to provide students and teachers with substantial opportunities to grow and learn together.   So many of our schools are focused on standardized testing and data driven to the point that that becomes the “life” of the school, not the students or staff.  I appreciate the idea of conflict in the schools as a tool to grow and ignoring the “status quo”.  To accomplish all of this we need teachers who are not afraid to take risks, teachers who are willing to share and learn from each other, and teachers who demonstrate the “joy of living”.  It amazes me at times to look at the number of teachers in schools who don’t even appear to like children!  I’m sure it didn’t begin that way!  If we are not careful, schools with it’s increasing demands and beaurocracy can demoralize even the most tolerant, patient, person.  We need to put ourselves (and our students) in environments that are challenging, respectful, and honest.  This does not come without conflict or risk…but the rewards are worth it!

I truly believe that is is not fair to make any assumptions or generalizatione about a race, sex, or culture by virtue of it’s population.  That, to me, is the number one mistake that people make about others, regardless of their inent.  As with any other ethnically diverse population, education about the culture can help to enhance our teaching and understanding of our students.  It has been my experience in working with “Asian Americans” (not a generalization) that education is truly valued in these homes.  Their is a level of respect for authority and an understanding that success comes with hard work.  Those values are not reserved for Asian immigrant families.  Those values should not be restricted to a particular class.  Those are the values that enhance the education system and help to foster success for all it’s students. 

I admire the respect that the Asian immigrants described in this article show for their culture and families.  Most were raised with a value system that is not evident in mainstream America.  I also understand the self-consciousness associated with learning a new language and it’s public use.  Many Asian-American children continue to be raised in homes where they do not speak unless spoken to.  However, there needs to be strong Asian American voices in homes, schools, and communities.  Dialogue needs to occur in a respectful, meaningful manner to envoke self-confidence in young children and promote positive leadership skills for life.  Everyone needs to have a “voice” and feel as though he/she is being heard.  If that dialogue cannot be practiced in the home, then certainly opportunities must be made available in school.  Successful members of other minority groups have reported that their success, despite their racial and social issues, have resulted from an ability to “code switch” when it was time to go to school.  They speak and behave differently when with their peers and/or family than they would when in school or at work.  In a sense, Asian Americans need to do their own “code switching” by accommodating their behaviors to unique situations.  Respect for one’s culture can be found in honoring traditions but it can also be evident in setting positive examples and “paving the way” for future generations so that every voice can be heard.