The Struggle

A Response to "Complicating the Image of Model Minority Success: A Review of Southeast Asian American Education" by Bic Ngo & Stacey J. Lee

Jonathan "Prince" Garcia
ASA 2

Question: In what ways can our education system cater to the needs of Southeast Asian American students and keep them in school instead of being "trapped" within their tradition and culture? 

The article talked about the plight of the Southeast Asian student. Often, they are children of refugees that came to this country as a result of war. Laotians, Vietnamese, and the Khmer seem to find themselves discriminated against even more in comparison to the Chinese and Japanese people. The culture of Southeast Asia is very different compared to the American lifestyle. Southeast Asian students place more importance on the child to take care of the family over education. I also agree with the article that there are not enough educators who can relate to people of these cultures because they are labeled as "not good enough" etc. The lack of teachers who understand their perspective. often cause students to lose interest because of the disconnect between them and the teacher. Higher education is often seen as more important for boys than girls, and families often expect their children to respect their wishes. The Southeast Asians do not necessarily portray the "model minority" image, because their dark skin color and their disillusionment from not only their families, but educators too, often lead them towards the influence of gangs, and in a sense, giving up their chance to improve their circumstances because to them, the barriers to success are too numerous and great. The article also touched upon the concept of some "yellow" people being seen as "black" because of the perceived underachievement of these people.