[EDEQUITY Immigrant Dialogue] A perspective from the classroom

From: Emily Hewitt (LeeLeehew@aol.com)
Date: Wed Feb 07 2001 - 17:26:39 EST


Bridging the Gaps Project Team, Madison Park Technical High School (Gender
Healthy Schools Project) , Boston, MA responding to the dialogue.

>From the classroom : I have been thinking about this issue for a bit---
what I find interesting in my classroom is that it is the immigrant girl
students who are often achieving at higher rates than the boys. I'm
wondering if in
fact in an interesting way that cultural constraints on girls' freedom
actually help them from being sucked into some of the very negative aspects
of "Americanization." Our girl and boy students clearly talk about the
difference in freedoms granted boys and girls-- boys can go hang out /girls
cannot. Boys have less familial responsibilities than girls. Boys can go
out without family members- girls cannot. Ironically I see more of my male
students trying to "fit in" to what they see as American teen culture by
adopting the clothing, attitude and swagger that is popularized by the
media. Eminem, the rap singer is very popular amongst the boys in my high
school ESL classes. They interpret the "freedom" here often in the most
negative of ways- meaning do anything/ do whatever/ don't worry about
consequences. My male students have talked about this in class and I have
actually watched boys get "lost " in this for a year or two. Sometimes they
come out the other side of this realizing what they have done and what they
have lost. I don't see the girls getting lost like this. I have many girl
students who are preparing for college who are focused on the future-- on
their own future-- vs a future defined by marriage and children. ( The
marriage and children will come later... they say.) What seems to be
positive is groups of girls who find each other, hang together in school
and
basically encourage each other to go after their goals. Many of these
focused girls still have familial responsibilities and part time jobs. I
admire
their ability to juggle it all. They seem to do this more successfully than
the
boys.
>From a teacher- An issue that I as a white American woman who has been
greatly influenced by the feminist movement and who strongly believes in
the principles of democracy face in my teaching is what Carola Suarez from
the
Harvard Immigration Project identified in a previous discussion on
immigrant
girls--- that of "shyness being misinterpreted by American teachers who
value 'assertive' behavior." When she wrote this I felt like I was caught
in the
headlights! I have looked at my teaching carefully since that discussion--
I have many girls who sit politely in class, pay attention, do well on
tests
and say NOT a word in class discussions. The feminist in me who values the
democratic ideals of speaking one's mind can clash with this behavior. I
want to encourage their "voices," but it was good to be reminded of that
cultural reality for many girls so that I can work with them not in
judgment of
them.
Emily Hewitt
LeeLeehew@aol.com



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