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.