Taking A Chance With Words
I so related to this article and I am not Asian! I often times struggle with speaking up in class and let my thoughts slip away and not be heard because I feel uncomfortable speaking out. I am naturally a quiet and very private person. I turn in all class assignments on time and try to do my best on the work that is assigned. I am a totally different person when I am in my comfort zone…people can’t really get me to stop talking and I think I can be quite funny at times. I work better in small group settings or one-on-one. I found this article particulary interesting to read. I tried to think back and remember any particular person of Asian culture whom I felt fit this image and I couldn’t. In the section entitled, “Snapshots from the Classroom,” I found it interesting that the reason the boy Jeff had not spoken a lot about an assignment he had completed within his small group was because he was brought up to beleive that it was “a sign of strength to solve your problems yourself and not to impose them on others.” I never really thought that “quiet” people could have other reasons for not speaking up other than being shy and feeling uncomfortable. I found the section where the students told what would help them speak out more also interesting. I like how they agreed that when they are given a time in which they can talk instead of just jumping into a conversation could help. I also liked how they thought giving each group in the small groups a job to do instead of just sitting there wondering who was going to speak first and what to speak about. I think these ideas can be adapted very well to any classroom. This article opened the door for me that there are many different reasons why people behave in the way they do…it is our job to get to know these students and help them join the classroom where they feel culturally safe.
