Week 3 - Jiaqi Huang

Jiaqi Huang
A02
Week 3: Model Minority, Tiger Mom, Affirmative Action, and Newer Debates in Higher Education

This week’s reading, Beyond Tiger Mom Anxiety by OiYan Poon and Ajani Byrd, examines the educational decisions of Asian-American youth beyond their stereotypes. The study was conducted on 1.5-generation and second generation Asian-American students and through their experiences, Poon and Byrd conclude the given as well obscure factors in college decisions. For example, “capital resources and familiarity with college access” (23), distance from home, social network…etc.

Growing up, I had never felt direct educational pressure (or tiger pressure) from my parents as they never enforced it. Albeit, I did piano lessons for a month and ballet for a week. But I could relate to more than one of the factors in this study, as I think most students probably will, but I think what divides Asian-Americans and other students is the culture and generation which we group up in. First of all, any non-Asian would easily agree that a tiger mom is ruthless, “extra” and in general, dominating. While their assumptions are true to degrees, they don’t regard the relationship between child and parent in Asian culture. I can’t specifically explain the role of the parents but I will provide some examples: my grandma raised me and is raising my baby cousin, my grandparents raised my brother, my grandparents live with my uncle… In my culture, no matter your age, responsibility, success; you will still be a baby in your parent’s eyes and they will worry about your well-being, always. As my dad says, “even my parents call me once in a while to make sure I sleep early”. If we weren’t in America, tiger moms would just be regular moms in Asia.

The fact “Within the research literature on college choice…Asian Americans are frequently left out from discussion…due to their aggregate achievement,” (24) burdens me. It relates to the model minority myth and without future research concludes that Asian-Americans need less help in college admissions nor do we need benefit from a corrupted system.


Questions: Do you think culture intensifies some factors in college decision? Such as proximity from home? Tiger mom is an infamous role in western education values?

Social media has accepted the model minority myth and utilizes it "comedic" ways to further spread the myth.

References:
Poon, O., & Byrd, A. (2013). Beyond Tiger Mom Anxiety: Ethnic, Gender and Generational Differences in Asian American College Access and Choices. Journal of College Admission. Retrieved April 16, 2017, from http://ecommons.luc.edu/education_facpubs/58/

Yang, C. (2015, August 14). Stop Calling Us "The Model Minority" [Web log post]. Retrieved April 16, 2017, from https://natureofconscience.wordpress.com/2015/08/14/stop-calling-us-the-model-minority/