Reading Reflections

"You're Asian. How Could You Fail Math? Unmasking the Myth of the Model Minority"
by Wayne Au & Benji Chang

1. "Respectful to teachers, smart, good at math and science, diligent, hard workers, cooperative, well-behaved, docile, college-bound, quiet, and opportunistic." What's missing from this imaginary model student's behavior?

2. This article was my first exposure (or awareness) to the phrase "model minority." "...the first rule of educational inequality still applies: class matters." Many educational articles arrive at this conclusion again and again. Is it more prudent, then, to discuss issues of income inequality before the expectations of our students?

3. It's grossly unsurprising when digging further into the concept of the "Asian model minority" that high achieving students were found to be from middle and upper class families. Does this precedent also indicate that the Eurocentric view of "the minority" was the assumption that all descendents of Asian cultures would perform less than their European counterparts - but then "we" were surprised?

“Race: Some Teachable - and Uncomfortable - Moments”
by Heidi Tolentino

I believe it is a disservie for an educator to allow her students not read the words on a page as they are meant to be read. Case in point, the author and educator told her students not to read the “N-word” aloud when they came across it in the text. I believe it is important to explore the contemporary and historical contexts of all text, but to acknowledge, read, and speak what is on the page. Indeed, I understand the educator’s intent; however, I think this approach further cushions the Whites to distance themselves from the deep roots of history, which frequently begin with uncomfortable words on the page.