Xinyu Lyu, A02, Week 6

In this week's reading, professor Takamasa shows us that international teachers are at the bottom of the American academic hierarchy, with low salaries, job restrictions, and discrimination. But she was not overwhelmed by this adverse situation and she used her own experience to tell Asian teachers in academia how to deal with the situation. In the face of the student's misconduct, she reported to the school, although it was hard she felt it was worth it to let the students understand their own mistakes. She writes a book in English, though writing in a second language is difficult. There were many ups and downs in her career, even affecting her health at one point, but she persevered with the people who helped her. She also mentioned that many people give up and leave because of language and lack of belonging.

This is the greatest part of professor Takamasa’s life. Many people choose to endure or give up in the face of oppression. But few people can stand up for their interests in such a strong negative situation and stick to it. Her experience is a sobering one for a lot of Asians and even more international teachers. Such experience deserves our attention, but more importantly, professor Takamasa’s spirit is worthier of our learning. Never give up, never give in to oppression. Only when more professor Takamasa appears, Asian professors can get into a better situation.

https://images.app.goo.gl/NAUpvCxQFGPqWmgx6 

Question: In China, foreign teachers can even get some preferential treatment. Why are Asian teachers discriminated against in the United States? Is it a cultural difference? Or something else?

Reference

Valverde, K. C., & Dariotis, W. M. (2020). Fight the tower: Asian American women scholars' resistance and renewal in the academy. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.