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"One thing that I wish everyone would change is that, if they had any questions,they would confront us and ask us, instead of just assuming all the stereotypes. They just assume that we come from the same country. Everybody comes from China. I kind of wish, if they had any questions I would be more than happy to answer them. What language do you speak? etc."
One of the most persistent problems Asian Americans face in this country and on UNC's campus is that they are treated as foreigners, no matter if they have just arrived in the US or if their family has been here for generations. (Toyama, 1988) Asian Americans are racially visible and since World War II have often been portrayed in the media and in the movies as the enemy. Like anyone else, they would like to be treated as individuals, rather than as representatives of a group that has been portrayed as problematic for generations of Americans. The result is that Asian American students may be particularly sensitive to issues of inclusion in the classroom. CTL's 1992 study concluded that Asian students were more likely than White students or African American students to disagree with the statement: "This course covered material from diverse perspectives, such as non-Western European views, women's perspectives, perspectives of non-whites, etc." Nearly one third of Asian students responded that they didn't know whether their work in class had been fairly graded- a feeling shared by only about 10% of respondents from other ethnic backgrounds. Asian students also had more difficulty working in groups and, along with women students, were least likely to ask questions in class.
Such results suggest a fairly high degree of discomfort in the classroom, which may have to do with both inequitable treatment of Asian American students, and with the culture they bring to the classroom, which may not match the culture the professor expects.
One of the ways other Americans make Asian Americans uncomfortable is to assume that all "Asian-looking" Asians are the same. One student expressed her discomfort with the fact that her professors and her peers just assumed that "Asians are all Chinese." Asia includes such diverse countries and cultures as China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, the Philippine Islands, Samoa, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. Even within these countries, ethnic, religious and racial differences can be quite broad.
Asian Americans are different from one another for other reasons as well. Their culture has as much to do with the length of time they have been in the US as it does with the region of the US in which they grew up, or the reason their families emigrated in the first place. The differences between first, second and third generation Asian Americans can be enormous. Generalizations about all Asians are even less accurate than if one were to make a statement about everyone of a specific nationality. Thus, though personal attention is important to any student, it seems especially important to Asian Americans on campus. These students will feel more comfortable in class, and will be more likely to approach you in your office if they feel that you have made an effort to get beyond stereotypical reactions to them as Asians and have gotten to know them as individuals. In the CTL study mentioned above, almost one quarter of the Asian students failed to take advantage of office hours to meet with the instructor during the semester. The reason: "I did not feel comfortable enough to bring up my concerns."
Asian Americans also must deal with the "model minority" stereotype. They have the reputation of being "the smart minority" because some of them are more likely to form study groups among themselves outside of class, and to concentrate more heavily on studies than on extra-curricular activities (Bruffee, p. 25). They are also often seen as more passive and obedient in class than others, and not as likely to become "trouble makers." It is important to understand where such habits come from. Many Asian Americans who come to the university from traditional families are taught that collaboration is the avenue to success, and that teachers and other figures of authority should be respected. Thus, speaking out and asking questions in class is not valued as much as working hard to master the material presented. Young people may also be taught to work together for the good of everyone, rather than to strive to succeed against others and become "leaders" of their groups. Asian Americans from traditional families may be encouraged to finish college quickly so that money can be spent on younger siblings who also need an education. If they come from such families, they feel pressure to do well academically so as not to fail their parents' expectations (Toyama, 1988, p. 58-59).
Obviously, not all Asian Americans come from such a traditional background, and each individual has his or her own preferred way of studying. However, the fact that there are a number of such students has led to the stereotype of the "model minority." Asian American students at times do complain that because they are seen as smarter by nature than other students, they end up not getting as much attention from the professor. It thus becomes even harder for them to approach a professor or TA if they do have questions, since it seems to the students themselves that they are not reaching the standard others have set for them.
Students of Asian American background have the same problems of identity as other minority students. Because everyone around them makes a distinction, they must constantly decide how to be American while not giving up their Asian identity. Should they conform to the "model minority" thesis or ignore it? Should they make friends mostly with Asians, since that is what is expected (and comfortable), or should they risk alienating themselves from their "natural" allies by making friends across campus regardless of race? These daily decisions may make their lives more complicated than are those for whom such choices between groups are not an issue. Such added stress on students may show up in the students' work in your class.
With students from other parts of
the world, a professor or TA must deal with the difficulty of correctly pronouncing
their "foreign" names. Though it is very natural to have difficulty
pronouncing foreign names properly, repeated mispronunciations can alienate
students who begin to feel as if the teacher does not care enough to learn their
names. Make sure when you first get to know your class that you check with all
students about the name they prefer. Just ask a student if you do not know
how to pronounce a name correctly, and write it down for yourself in your list
of student names. You will often find that students with common names will prefer
to use their middle names or nicknames. If you make a habit of asking everyone
in class to let you know their nicknames or preferred names, students with
unusual names will no longer feel isolated.
Quotes from interviews with Asian American students on campus
"[Some] teachers or TAs make me more comfortable. I think they just approach people more personally. Just willing to spend time with students. [Some] professors basically just come in and lecture and go out again. They're unwilling to alter a certain method of teaching. They have certain habits of teaching and they're unwilling to accept any changes. You need more interaction, one of the biggest problems is the lack of interaction with the students. This is the kind of professor who shows up for a lecture and goes away unless you're willing to go to him. They don't encourage you. Students feel more comfortable to call up [teachers] and make appointments if they're personally more approachable."
"A couple of my friends even noticed that in a particular class a professor called on only certain people, and asked questions. And there was a pattern to who he called on. He always called on people with blond hair- it's just really weird, we all noticed that. When I went to his office to ask him questions, he treated me very well. You know, with lots of respect."
"I've seen one of my teachers that has been really nice to a fellow, a person of his own race, and then really rude to me or to one of my friends. He was not willing to answer questions. When that girl approached him, he was like, 'Well, this is the answer, here's how you do it.' And when we approached him with the same question he just said, "I don't have time, I have to go." That was very unfair."
"When you approach the teacher, and you're a certain race, or color, they treat you differently just because of what they know about that culture. I don't think it's kind of offending anybody, because I don't think it offends me. I used to have this teacher in my English class... when I came up to him, he was real nice, and he was a lot more helpful I think, to me. As an English teacher he saw me as, you know, I wasn't born with English. He was more willing to help me and I think there are some benefits [to being Asian American]."
"Most of my teachers are accepting of everybody. They use the whole class and tend not to single out people. Unless you go up to them and talk to them then it's a different story, but I've never had in-class problems."
"You have an Asian Student Association, then you have a Black Cultural Center. I think they have good intentions; they sort of want to bring out their culture, you know, announce their culture to people, but in a way they do things- if you have a group, say, the Asian Association, they shouldn't really separate themselves from the rest of the group. You know, why this separation?"
"We're like, very minority. We have the same classes every day, and the same people every day, and majority is majority and minority is definitely minority. I think it goes with the whole culture, the whole society. You know, you have things in common, so you kind of group together. For me, I met my Asian friends [in this program] just because we have things in common, we start talking about food, and laughing a lot, cultural things. It's harder, I think, for me to talk to American friends because they have different values."
"You should always cross [the line between minorities and the majority] and make friends, you can have friends everywhere, in every culture. But you have to admit, there is a difference. You can't just say "well we can't have that difference." I think there is a difference and it makes you who you are, as long as you aren't prejudiced against the other people because of their difference. I think we have to make an extra effort. It was so easy to be her friend [pointing at another Asian woman], but I felt that I needed to make an extra effort to talk to others. It's because of the values. You know, I kind of know how she was brought up and then it's natural to go to people with whom you already know you have something in common. "
"[Where] I went to high school there was a real distinction between the Black groups, the White groups, and the Asian groups. The White group was usually on the top of the class, a lot more in advanced classes, and Black groups weren't. Here there's a real mixture and I've seen them in all classes. It makes me feel better."
"We have our own group, but we do blend in with both [Black and White groups]. So we're kind of neutral, in the middle ground. You know, it's like our color (laughs). I think we get along with both groups."
"The major problem is that everybody thinks it's a problem to be different. I mean, you go into a group, you feel comfortable with a group, and you find yourself having a lot of things in common. I don't think it's such a big problem. You know, we talked about segregation and all that stuff. But if I go into a White group, I feel really stressed because I feel like I have to try harder. But I think that if I just accept who I am, and don't worry about trying to fit in, then I would be a lot better off. Instead of thinking 'Oh, they're different from me, and I shouldn't be here,' or the difference of 'They're segregating me. They're taking the defensive.' If I don't go in thinking about Black, White, Asian or whatever, I do better, and not worry about this group, that group."
"It disturbs me to see [segregation] on campus, especially in the Pit. When I go to the Pit, I can see that Asians hang out here, the line is right here. And that just disturbs me. That's why I think I tend to not go to the Asian crowd. When I decide not to go to the Asian crowd, they look at me and like, you know, "Why aren't you coming to us?" and I wish I could tell them, "I don't want to exclude myself just to that group." I think that if a non-Asian person would see me in the Asian group, they would not approach me even more. That's why I tend to not just go toward [Asian friends]. So there are advantages and disadvantages to belonging or not belonging to this group."
"I think it is [an issue] on campus. I think the reason that I have more in common with a Japanese person than an American person is because we kind of have the same background- coming over here, having to make the same experience when we grow up, and being Asian American. But it's like, I think- it's really hard to- I know we have different cultures, but I think what groups us most is the fact that we have the same background when we came over here. Our experience as Asian Americans here does make a link between us that seems natural to us."
"Questions are like ice breakers, like 'Where are you from?' Even if it's another state. If I was sitting next to somebody, and it was a White person and I wanted to start a conversation, I would say, 'Where's your hometown?' or something like that."
"I had an interview to get into [our academic program]. And the interviewer broke the ice by asking me where I was from. Then we went on to talk about the food because he wanted to know about the food of Vietnam, and that made me feel really comfortable."
"I just wish that teachers wouldn't think that we're all smart, because that puts a lot of pressure on us. Sometimes it is an advantage but, sometimes they assume 'She's going to do well, so she doesn't need the help' or something like that. I wish that they don't have that same mentality. So that's another stereotype about Asian Americans- they study all the time, and they should be making good grades, so I don't need to worry about them. I mean, it's a good stereotype, it's a good thing to be, but... it [sometimes] does make it easier to ask for help, because they think 'It's not going to be a dumb question.' I think that, stereotypes like that, you know, things like that, being smart, there's good and there's bad."
"I like the conferences where they allow you to sign up for a day. We had an English teacher who had a conference at the beginning [of the class] where we were just talking, and we had a conference at the end. I thought it was kind of neat to meet, at least twice, throughout the semester even if you didn't have any questions. But [it was good] to have a conference at the beginning that was required and a conference at the end that was required. You don't even have to talk about the course. You can talk about anything, 'How are you doing?' and 'How much work do you have?' something like that. It was so much more comfortable."
"Just talk to the students about where they're from."
"I think it would be good for the professors and TAs to attend something done by the Asian students. For instance they have a 'Journey to Asia' every year. They could attend that if they would like to know about where the student population, the minority population came from, how they view society. They can just read the DTH to get the information."
"Tell the young teachers not to get hung-up on majority or minority- just act themselves, you know. Most of the time that helps a lot more than getting hung up on the minority and the difference and worrying about, you know, trying not to offend somebody. You end up doing that anyway, because you're nervous, and you're trying too hard."
"Everyone has different experiences on campus, and you can't really make a generalization about how everyone is being treated."
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Last Updated: January 30, 2001