Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Reading Discussion #2
I decided to cherry pick for this reading of Children of Immigration. I decided to jump into chapter 3 The Psychosocial Experience of Immigration. I found this to be interesting. The first thing I found interesting was the separation and reunification process. The book mentioned about Caribbean countries and that "there is a long standing cultural practice of 'child fostering'" (p. 67). These children would be placed with other family members either for better opportunities in life or in response to a family crisis. I thought about this a realize one does not hear about this as much in the United States. Usually whole families move and this can be troublesome for the children at times - and that is while staying within the country not moving to a new one. The text did touch on P.T.S.D. which I feel is something often overlooked. I have a friend who has it and there are times where she will become upset and not know exactly why. I can imagine already having some kind of trauma and then having to endure the stress of moving to a whole new country. I found the idea of learning a new culture and taking on different roles in the family unit interesting as well. It can be stressful to have to learn all new customs and ways of living life that in some case may be totally opposite of their old traditions. If the child is able to acclimate sooner and learn the vernacular they can often become the unofficial head of the family. They may become the one to fill out papers and answer phone calls and speak at appointments. This would be a great burden I'm sure. And to think that all of this can follow them into the classroom. A student with undiagnosed P.T.S.D. may have and episode during a class and not be able to explain why. The teacher may just feel they are being unruly. One that has to take on the daily tasks of adult life may not be able to complete their homework on time or if at all. I guess in many respects this could apply to non-immigrants as well. It just reminds me that I should keep these kinds of things in the back of my mind when in a classroom.
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I think you make such a good point about keeping unknown backgrounds of students in mind when one or two seem difficult. I have had many teachers that so easily get caught up in the chaos of everyday classes and forget that their students are people, not just students. I have always promised myself that I would do my best to remember that there is always something important (and probably many things!) that you do not know about a student. Being a child of immigration would be an excellent example and even with a second generation child of immigration, there are certain issues that one needs to be conscious may exist. Never assume anything!
ReplyDeleteGreat point on the post dramatic stress disorder. I agree that it really is a teacher's duty to know and understand their students' backgrounds. That way, if something ever comes up, they will be better equipped to help and communicate with the student. Some of these countries that the children are moving from are war stricken, and they may have witness things that no human should have to see, let alone a child. Throwing this into the mix of learning a new language and a new culture is beyond stressful. I think that might be why I find it so annoying when people get upset at others for not knowing the language. The people who criticize have not been in the learner's shoes. I wish they could have more empathy.
ReplyDeleteMy mom's experience seems to fit with your description of the "unofficial head of the family." As a child, she took care of tasks like this for my grandmother. To answer your question, my grandmother did acclimate to American culture, and quite well. The new language can be a huge burden for immigrants. Also, I know someone with PTSD as well. I never saw her have an episode, but she talked to me about it and how it can be such a burden to deal with. I would keep the possibility of a student with undiagnosed PTSD in the back of my mind too.
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