Carol Brydolf - Getting Real About the Model Minority

The article that I read, entitled Getting Real About the Model Minority, talked about how Asians and those that fit into the broad AAPI (Asian American Pacific Islander) category, are often considered the “model” minority. I can definitely see this stereotype in my classes and even in my dorm room. People at UTK often joke about how “Asians” are the only people in the library during football games. I have personally witnessed people saying that Asians do well because they are “smart” and because they “work hard.” People expect Asians to do well because of their work-ethic, and tend to lump all Asians (as many as 50 different cultures) into one lump of generally hardworking and high achieving students. I have had Asian American friends joke and say things like "I'm not one of those smart A-sians. I am a B-sian." They find it hard to live up to the "perfect student" stereotype.

While there are many Asian Americans who come from affluent backgrounds, especially many Chinese Americans, there are also a large number of Asian Americans who are newly arrived refugees, linguistically isolated, who have never gone to school, or who have a limited ability to speak English. This article argues that some students and communities aren’t getting the resources and attention that they need because of the stereotype that Asian Americans are smart and don’t need help. The article argues that lumping all Asian Americans into the title “AAPI” hurts many groups of Asian Americans because of this reasoning. In reality, while Asian Americans are statistically more likely than “whites” to go to college, they are also more likely to drop out of high school before graduating. There are many families, communities, and children that need resources and support in order to succeed. I was really surprised to read this. I have often heard about minority students becoming victims to the “stereotype threat,” and performing lower than they should because of a stereotype threat. I had not heart of a minority and ELL groups getting overlooked because they were considered members of a “model” minority. I think that there is no such thing as a “model” minority, and that it is unfair and discriminatory to say that one set of cultures or cultural experiences is superior to another, especially when AAPI cultures can be so varied and different. I think that as a teacher, it will be more important to consider the individual needs of the children that I will work with, and the unique cultures that they come from. From a political standpoint, I think that categorizing all Asian Americans into one group is a bad idea, especially if we are going to make a value statement about whether a minority is a “model minority.” I agree with the main premises of this article, and support giving all English Language Learners and their families the support that they need to succeed in school and in the American economy.