Week 3 - Nicholas Suen

In Kaozong N. Mouavangsou’s article “Hmong Does Not Mean Free: The Miseducation of Hmong Americans,” she discusses how the gender - based stereotypes and the lack of Hmong history in American education contributes to the marginalization of Hmong students in academia. One topic that i found particular interesting in this article was the concept of how Hmong students that are separated from the majority of their community based on academic performance, become less connected to their cultural roots and believe that becoming “more American” equates to academic success. According to Mouavangsou, “The implicit message that the US education system sends to students of color, specifically Hmong male students, is that in order to be academically successful, a student needs to be more American and to stay away from other Hmong boys, therefore dividing the Hmong community.” (2017) Separating students based on academic skill can allow students with greater motivation and that learn at a faster pace, can allow the higher performing students to excel. However, as seen in Mouavangsou’s article this kind of division can influence students from marginalized ethnic groups (such as Hmong students) to feel isolated from the peers who share the same ethnicity. This can cause higher performing students to associate lower performance with their culture, often resulting in the belief they should distance themselves from it. Subsequently, these students then try to be more “american” because that is what they associate with academic success.

The concept that success can be associated with assimilation or the adoption of another culture is something seen in popular culture. For example, in the popular television show “Breaking Bad” there is  a character named Jimmy McGill, a defense attorney who takes on the name “Saul Goodman” in order to seem more Jewish to potential clients. McGill uses the common stereotype of Jewish men being good lawyers in order to make his practice more appealing to potential clients.

Questions:
Is separating students based on supposed learning ability more beneficial or detrimental to fostering a positive learning environment for students?

References

Mouavangsou, K.N. 2016. Hmong Does Not Mean Free: The Miseducation of Hmong Americans. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
Signs 4 Fun. (n.d.). Retrieved October 08, 2017, from https://www.amazon.com/Saul-Goodman-Fun-Fake-License/dp/B00PMQD7VQ