In response to the Kuma, B. article, The Lay of the Land ,
I feel so touched because the author described the process of his personal experiences of being an American. From being a “labeled American” to a “naturalized” American citizen, he shared his experiences about how to incorporate Indian culture into his life in the USA.
What I considered as the key issue is that the way that the author raises his children. His children seem to feel comfortable with different cultures. They go to the elementary school to interact with Asian-Americans and White-Americans; at the same time, they go to the learning center to play with Indian children, hear Indian songs and stories on the weekend. So far so good. However, he knows things may change as his children grow up and find out who they really are. That is so called U-shaped cultural phenomenon. That reminds me of my country, Taiwan. Some of the parents bring their children to America while they are still young . Parents expect nothing but hope their children will speak and write fluently in English. However, during their teenage years, they know more, gain peer pressure, and start to change. Take one of my best friends, Albert Chou, for example. He grew up in this way and he survives. Now he is earning his JD degree in USA.
Questions that I have for the class to consider is how to help these kind of children if you are their homeroom teacher during their teenage period? How to help them with their struggle?
