Cultural Exploration

December 7, 2004

At first, I was inclined to explore the culture of Hungary, but as the semester progressed, I began to change my mind. Although I felt well-versed in sharing aspects of Hungarian culture and Hungarian learners, I realized that the profile of diversity in Arkansas included very few Hungarians. I had also considered Native Americans, much for the same reasons as discussed in the article review, but then I recalled Dr. Lincoln’s mention of a rumor that the U.S. government had offered to resettle a group of Hmong from Minnesota to northwest Arkansas. I wondered what impact the relocation would have on the public schools. When Novice Teacher reported that five Hmong students had enrolled in his rural Arkansas high school in early October, I decided that a study of the Hmong culture could be engaged immediately.

Interestingly enough, I discovered a few similarities between Native American cultures and Hmong cultures: strong family ties, respect for elders, and a strong spiritual grounding. Another similarity is the fact that both cultures have had traumatic upheavals in their histories. The Hmong originated in China but were unwelcome there because of their unwillingness to conform to authority. They were forced to immigrate and over the centuries eventually made their way to the highlands of Laos. Their ties to the U.S. military forces during the Vietnam War gave them "persona non gratis" status. They were hunted down, killed, and forced to flee the country. Since the 70s, they have been refugees in Thailand. Almost 200,000 have been resettled in the U.S., mostly in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and California.

Novice Teacher and I have been learning about the Hmong culture. His interest is immediate and necessary. The Asian students at his high school organized a student group, the Asian-American Heritage Club, and chose Novice Teacher as sponsor. Tomorrow, December 8, the club members will present an assembly for the high school. It has become a quietly controversial event. Racist remarks and attitudes reminiscent of the 50s have emerged from a few native-born students, who weren't shy about voicing their dissatisfaction. A few queries have arisen from the Whites about not having a "White Heritage" Week.

Because of these remarks and attitudes, Novice Teacher has directly addressed the concerns of all students. He discussed the possibility of laughter during the assembly with the presenters and reassured them that, if it did happen, it would be from fear of the unknown and not fear of the Asian students personally. He has encouraged all his students to set an example and be leaders for social acceptance and respect for all students. His lessons this week have centered on justice. He has reminded the White students that every day is White day because Whiteness is the dominant culture. Issues raised in our class have stimulated much discussion between Novice Teacher and myself about multicultural education and teaching people of other cultures. As I mentioned in one of my reflections, my background in ESL has supported his efforts in addressing diversity and language learning in his first semester of teaching.

He reported this evening that today’s rehearsal was flawless and that six Hmong and Lao mothers had shown up to help. He has been impressed with the students' organizational skills, group cohesion and cooperation. This reinforces what I have read about the Hmong and Lao cultures, too. They are very resilient cultures with clearly defined roles for gender and age. Their enthusiasm for the event supports what we have discussed in class about viewing cultural differences as additive. We know that when students are able to share their knowledge, they have an investment in the school. One colleague told Novice Teacher that nothing like this had ever happened at his school!

Another aspect of personal development resulting from this project was a Power Point presentation, the first time I had created one myself. More impressive for me was the relief that it worked! I have an underlying uneasiness with machinery of all sorts, so creating it was almost secondary to having it function at the appropriate time.

The use of technology as a tool in the multicultural classroom is another recurring theme from this semester. Technology can serve as a bridge to gaining trust, building self-esteem, and enhancing instruction if used to supplement and not supplant the personal. Classmates and instructor have modeled this medium effectively this semester, which brings me to the conclusion of this segment of the portfolio. For you “dining” pleasure, a pastiche of savory sites:

Background: The Hmong in the United States

Hmong Cultural and Resource Center of Minnesota

Migration Heritage Center

Multicultural Education Pavilion

The Hmong Tiger

Omniglot: A Guide to Writing Systems

*This is the next step toward THE One World Language.
Step Six: *Your lesson plan on remote control.