Pressures to Assimilate in American School Culture

American school culture is shown time and time again in movies and TV shows as having a reputation of being scary, aggressive, and often alienating. While these nightmarish depictions are often overstated for dramatic effect on the big screen, these conditions can be terrifyingly real for immigrant and child-of-immigrant students. The pressure to fit in with peers is something that most students feel and relate to. However, many ESL students have already been labelled as "outsiders" either by the color of their skin or the accent of their voice, compounding the effects of offensive insults, passive aggressiveness, and feelings of isolation. Assimilation is defined as "the process whereby individuals or groups of differing ethnic heritage are absorbed into the dominant culture of a society" (Britannica). By acknowledging the pressure to assimilate in American schools and how damaging these pressures and expectations can be, teachers of all subjects can be aware and even possibly make small - yet intentional - steps in their speech, demeanor, and attitude toward ESL students, making them more comfortable and more likely to succeed. 

More teachers, especially those who aren't primarily ESL teachers, should seek ways to make their students of different cultures more comfortable in the classroom by acknowledging and encouraging diversity, even in simple and small doses. There is still the question: why should teachers care? Well, for one, teachers generally care about their students as imperfect and growing humans who need guidance and encouragement. Great teachers fulfill the need to not only teach academic content, but also fortify their students with emotional support in places where a student may be struggling mentally or emotionally. On the other hand, students who feel more comfortable (like when they don't feel the constant need to mask or code switch in the classroom) can learn more efficiently and focus all of their energy on absorbing the material. The term 'code switch' refers to processes of "shifting from one linguistic code (a language or dialect) to another, depending on the social context or conversational setting" (Britannica). While code switching in itself isn't bad, pressure to do so out of fear of discrimination is. Trinity College (Hartford, CT) student Tina Zhu writes in "Public Schools in the Twentieth Century: The 'Melting Pot' for Immigrants" that pressures to assimilate have been present all throughout history. One the most apparent instances of this appears in the 20th century under President Theodore Roosevelt who encouraged "the political and generalized view of the melting pot metaphor" that "created a trend of completely fading new immigrant's culture and Americanizing immigrants..." Zhu continues by acknowledging that "schools [were] one the vital 'tools' that many advocates promoted to 'melt' the immigrants..." While these strong and forcible ideas are (for the most part) a thing of the past, their history still haunts many American classrooms. A limited yet practical list of ways for instructors to lessen the pressure of assimilation on their ESL students is to...

(1) not belittle students when they speak in their native language in casual conversations
(2) avoid assumptions (see Stop Assuming What Your Students Know: A Biography)
(3) ask simple (not too personal) questions about a students past experience in a subject to gauge where their knowledge is in comparison to their American peers in order to supplement their learning when necessary
(4) gives students time to translate when needed
(5) give freedom and flexibility when possible
(6) compare and contrast the pros and cons of teaching methods in other cultures rather than forcing the idea that Americanized instruction is the only right answer
(7) encourage teamwork and community regardless of demographic differences in all areas of your classroom and teaching space. 

Stop Assuming What Your Students Know: A Biography

Both inside and outside English as a Second Language (ESL) classrooms, ESL students are constantly stereotyped and their knowledge of something (or lack thereof) is assumed. For example, there are many instances where ESL high school students' math knowledge is assumed to be at a higher or lower level than it actually is. Math is only one of numerous subjects where these assumptions occur. Geography and funding, even within the same country or region, can drastically change the level of education a student receives before moving to the United States. A 6th grade education in Mexico, looks very different than a 6th grade education in Ukraine, Uzbekistan, or the Philippines. Other countries have different expectations for different age groups when it comes to education systems. This all seems obvious, but often both ESL teachers and teachers of different subjects assume a student does or does not know something solely on what country they are from or what native language they speak. For those who aren't ESL instructors or don't interact often with ESL students, the concept of 'assumicide,' as coined by Dr. Anita Archer and referenced in "3 Assumptions Teachers Should Avoid," can also affect students who aren't a part of the ESL community. "Assumicide" can harm those students who may not remember concepts or never learned them in the first place due to a variety of factors (and issues) concerning the education system. 

Young Asian students looking toward the front
of the classroom with interest

As I have tutored and observed inside ESL classrooms as both a high school and college student, I constantly find myself asking students who I help what their background on certain subjects are because each student is at a different level. Some students learned exponents in their home countries. Others didn't. Some students learned terms like 'simile', 'metaphor', and 'hyperbole' is their native county. Others didn't. Assuming a student is already familiar with certain terms, even when translated to their native language, is a dangerous and often unhelpful game that many teachers play. This is often why translation services for assignments often aren't sufficient on their own. You can translate exponent to exponente or ekspozan or kielelezo all day, but unless a student understands the concept, that translation is empty in purpose. You can translate an English assignment asking students to identify different uses of figurative language to a native language that students can understand, but if that student doesn't understand what figurative language is, the assignment serves them no other purpose than frustration, confusion, and often times cheating in order to complete the assignment. The same concept is applicable for assuming lack of knowledge. Many students' foreign educations are extensive and perhaps even more advanced than American standards. Automatically assuming a student from a foreign country does not know what a 'theme' or 'biology' or 'World War II' means can be seen a racist and alienating. In order for teachers to avoid offending their students and contribute most effectively to increasing their education, I encourage teachers to be more transparent and up-front about their questions of background knowledge and context when helping with and creating new assignments. Additionally, translation is not always (and, in fact, most times not) a helpful accommodation without additional modification to student level needs. Most importantly, the most efficient and effective way to understand your students' backgrounds on topics covered in class is to (wait for it) ask them! This will save you time and energy while taking the pressure and shame away from students.