Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/515703
While some might argue these are positive traits and flattering, the myth of the model minority needs to be exam- ined, asserts Charmaine Banther, chair of CTA's Pacific Asian American Caucus, because it ignores students who are strug- gling, lumps all students together without regard for ethnic or cultural differences, and perpetuates stereotypes. "We must make sure we don't prejudge anybody," says Banther, New Haven Teachers Association. "Otherwise, we are shortchanging our children." A wide range of cultures and peoples Quynh Nguyen came to the U.S. when she was 12. Everyone assumed that she was Chinese. When she explained she was really Vietnamese, people told her it was the same thing. It's actually not, says Nguyen, Garden Grove Education Association. "That's the stereotype," says Nguyen, who teaches Vietnamese language classes at Bolsa Grande High School. "They think because we're Asian we must be Chinese." She can relate to her Vietnamese s t u d e n t s , w h o s o m e t i m e s f e e l a s though they are living in two cultures. "It's hard grow- ing up with the old values of Vietnam and the values of American society. There can be struggle between the two generations, and students don't always understand the Vietnamese culture." Laurence Tan, a teacher at 122nd Street School in Los Angeles, is Filipino and Chinese. The United Teachers Los Angeles member teaches in the Watts community, which is primarily Latino and African American, and says he is the representative of "all things Asian" to his students. "Many nationalities fall into the umbrella of being Asian, and whether you are Japanese, Filipino, Chinese or Pacific Islander, you are all lumped together," says Tan, who was a Teacher of the Year in Los Angeles Unified School District. "But we all have different histories and cultures and struggles." Asia is an entity that contains nearly 4 billion people and more than 50 countries, and referring to everyone as "just being Asian" downplays diversity and differ- ences among people. Pacific Islanders have traditionally been grouped with Asians. However, the two groups are very different culturally and ethnically. Since 2000, the U.S. Census Bureau has split the two groups, listing Asian and Pacific Islanders as two separate races on the Census form. Being in the "model minority" can be challenging for Asian American/Pacific Islander students in California, an extremely diverse group who often are overlooked when there are conversations around "students of color." They are generally assumed to be smart in math and science, respectful of others, and superachievers. P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S C O T T B U S C H M A N "Students may become stressed out and become superachievers to please their parents," says Charmaine Banther. Laurence Tan 10 www.cta.org Feature