Group Differences Reflection: ELL/Immigration

Overall, I found the Brydolf’s article eye opening. Coming from an Asian American background that does meet the model minority, it forced me to look deeper at different nuances of Asian society and expectations and separate generalizations. In terms of authorship and credibility, I appreciate the fact that a non-Asian American wrote this article, mainly because objectivity would then become that much harder to instill. Hypothetically speaking, if I were to be the author of these findings, or if the author was indeed Asian American I would be struggling with bias a great deal.

            One observation that resonated with me was the setting in which the article took place.

In general, Asian Americans receive a lot of the brunt from societal stereotypes; no doubt, Pacific Islanders are included. However, I felt that the study was more unique in that researchers focused on Asian American Pacific Islanders in California, as aspect I feel deals more directly with the issue of micro-climate. To be fair though, most of the stereotyping does occur in this particular area of the country because most Asian Americans move there. Even so, I would have liked to have seen a broader study done across the nation. At the end of the day, no matter where the statistics surface, the belief or acceptance towards a “model minority solution” will prove a difficult image to erase. I had not fully realized the fact that I fall under the model minority until after I read this article. Growing up, my parents did work hard and strived to achieve more, and my sister and I were expected to do the same. I believe that in many ways we have benefited more from that mentality than suffered from it, but I had never invested in analyzing the meaning behind being Asian American, in comparison to other subgroups. I have not looked at the numbers closely, but I believe they are correct. From what I have seen, Asian groups, both refugee and non-refugee, who lack the basic language skills will continue to immigrate to the United States, and they will need support.

            Although Ormrod addresses English Language Learners, I wish the book would delve into the topic more deeply. One could say I am biased because I am preparing to become an ELL teacher, but I feel that it is a growing need and issue that people are not prepared to handle.

Cultural awareness definitely needs to be incorporated and nurtured. Adequate training and support makes up the other half of the picture. I am glad that the article brings up that perspective as well, which is part of the reason why I struggled so much with this disparity. On the one hand, there exists the bright, hard working Asian American student, and that is challenged by the Asian student who may be equally bright and hard working but cannot communicate. I anticipate continuing struggling with this for a while, both professionally and personally. Yet, I suppose there is hope because as long as I focus on the needs of my students the rest will hopefully somewhat fall by the wayside.