Asian-American Children: What Teachers Should Know by Jianhua Feng

Before reading this article I too was of the assumption that Asian-American kid were all super intelligent individuals but as the article stated Asian-Americans' educational achievement cannot be attributed to natural superiority or shared cultural and family values, but rather to the interaction of those cultural and family values with social factors (Siu, 1992). I further realized that the “The "whiz kids" image is a misleading stereotype that masks individuality and conceals real problems.” Asian students that are viewed to teachers and educators as instant successes, poses a problem for those Asian students that need help, since educators may neglect those students that really need help because of this stereotype. Like any other group of migrants Asians also faced many difficulties for example they struggle to adapt to a new language and culture, and many of them drop out of school.

It is also important for educators to learn about the Asian community, their community constitute to a significant minority in the U.S. and are one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in this country. This means that educators have to be trained to relate to their cultures, religious origins, ecological adaptations, and histories etc.