TeddyTea

EDS117
Makeba,Jones
June6,2014

Aswehavebeendiscussinginclass,achild'sabilitytolearninschoolisinfluencedbymany
aspects:includinglanguage,cultureandidentity.Andwhilethiscanbeablessingtobeableto
supplementachild'seducation,italsomeanthatmanyaspectsofachild'slifeandidentitycanactually
hinderthatchild'seducation.Astudent'sidentityisoneofthemostimportantaspectindetermininghow
theyperceiveandexperienceschool,andproblemswithidentityoftenbecomeproblemsinacademic
performanceandsuccess.Moreattentiontostudentidentityisabeneficialalthoughcostlywayto
addressproblemsregardingidentityandeducation,butIbelievethatthatthisattentionshouldbe
divertedintoaresourcecenterateachschool,sothatstudentswhowanttomaketheefforttofixreflect
upontheiridentityissueshaveaplacetogoto.WithinthisessayIwillbefocusingonthreeaspectsof
educationalidentity:embracinganidentity,rejectingcertainidentitiesandtheconceptofmultipleworlds,
allofwhichdirectlyandgreatlyaffecthowastudentperceiveseducation.
InthecaseofOgbu'sstudiesoneducation,heconcludedthatAfricanAmericanperceive
academicexcellenceasaformofwhiteness.Similarly,Ogbu'sstudiesalsoconcludedthatinvoluntary
immigrantsoftenrejectedthecultureofthewhitedominantcultureasaformofresistance(Carter305).
Inallthesecases,theseAfricanAmericansseemedtobedealingwithastruggletomaintaintheir
identities,evenifitmeantnotpursuingacademicsuccess.InanotherhighschoolwhereFilipinomakeup
themajorityoftheschoolpopulation,thereisyetanotherfundamentaleducationproblem.Althougha
majorityofthepopulationunderstandTagalog,thenativeFilipinolanguage,alotofstudentsatthishigh
schoolareembarrassedtousethenativeatschoolamongtheirpeers.Theauthorofthisstudyargues
thatforthesestudents,"thepowerofEnglishasameansforgarneringsocialcapital,andconversely,as
aperniciousstrategyofracialization,resultsinalackofencouragementforimmigrantchildrentospeak
Tagaloginthehome"(Dominguez164)BecauseofthispreferencefortheAmericanlanguage,they
essentiallyexpressthedesireforamoreAmericanethnicidentity.Furthermore,inspecific,thestudents
atthishighschoolessentiallymovetowardsarejectionoftheirownidentityandculture.Thearticle
specifiesexampleswherethestudentsexpressthatTagalogis'ugly'andhowthesestudentsfeltthatthey
didnothavethejustificationtousetheirownlanguageorexpresstheirculturedespitebeingthemajority
inthehighschool.AlltheseissueswiththestruggleattheFilipinohighschoolandinOgbu'sstudyof
AfricanAmericanrepresenttwodifferentissueswherethepopulationfeelsliketheyhavetorejectwhite
cultureinonesituationandembracewhitecultureinanother,theybothseemtoendorsethecommunal
needtochangetheiridentitytofitsomesocialstandard.Thisstriveforanidealidentityjustshowsthatin
societyreststheproblemofstudentstakinguponnewidentitiesinsteadofembracing.
Thenagain,anothersourceofidentityissuescomesfromstudentswhotryveryhardtoembrace
theirsupposedidentitybecauseofstereotypes.Evenstudentswhoareacademicallysound,sufferfrom
identityproblems,inwhichidentitybecomesasourceofsocialanxiety.TaketheexampleofMeiMei,a
studentataKoreanhighschoolwhostrugglesinternallybecausesheexemplifiesthemodelminority
image.Sheexpressesthatbecauseofherhighexpectations,sheseesthatafailuretoliveuptothis
identity"wouldmeanbeingperceivedasunacceptable"(Lee420).Whatmakesthesecasesimportantis
thatitshowsthatevenstudentswhoareacademicallysuccessfulsufferfromissueswithidentity.
Anotherkidatthesamehighschool,expressedsimilarviewsofmodelminoritystereotypethatresulted
inasituationwhereMingcouldnotaskforacademichelp(Lee421).Asweobservehowthese
studentsrespondtopeerstereotypingandexpectations,itiseasytoseethattheirperceptionofschool
isnegativelyaffectedbytheseconceptsofidentity.
Thetransitionofastudent'sidentityastheymovefromschooltohometotheirpeersisalsoa
largepartofidentitythatcanattributetobeingrelatedtoeducation.Thefactisthatstudentshaveto
maintaintheiridentitybetweentheirmultipleworlds:athome,atschool,withtheirfriends,andwithin
themselves.Thisbecomesaproblem,because"manyadolescentsarelefttonavigatetransitionswithout
directassistancefrompersonsinanyoftheircontexts".citeAndinthecasethatthesedifferentworlds
areincongruouswitheachother,thestudentislefttodealwiththespaceandthetransitioningbetween
differentworldswithintheiridentity.Tobetterunderstandthisconcept,Phelanwritesthatthestudy
resultedinfourtypesofsituationsthatallstudentexperience.Thefirstdescribesasettinginwhichthe
studentlivesinacongruentworldswheretransitionsfromhometoschooltopeersissmooth.Thelastof
thefoursituations,ontheotherhand,describesasituationwhereworldshaveborderswhichare
impenetrableandboundariesbetweentheseworldseventhoughinsurmountablearelefttothestudentto
dealwith.Thismultipleidentityconceptisaneasyexampleofhowidentitydistortstheperceptionof
schooltostudents.Forexample,intheexampleofRyanMoore,whofallsintothefirstsituation,shares
hiscongruousworldasheshiftsfromleavingthebreakfasttablewherehetalkstohisparents,tohis
friendsastheywalktoschoolwithouthavingtochangehispersonalityandessentiallyhisidentity.He
continuestodescribeatimewhenastudentwastradingbaseballcardsthedaybeforefinalsthat
seemedtoshocktheneighborhood,toemphasizethefactthattheviewsofhisparents,hisfriendsand
histeachersallcenteraroundeducationandgoodschooling.Asaresult,Moore'sidentityfitsinall
situationsandaspectsofhislife.Incontrast,inthelowertiersituation,weobserveastudentnamed
Soniawhopreferstostayintherealmofherpeers,althoughtheydon'tfitthecongruenceherschool
andherparents.Andbecauseshehastomakeanefforttosurmounttheboundariesbetweenher
worlds,shedecidestoneglectherotherworldsandresultantlyneglectstomakeaneffortinschool.
Withtheconceptofmultipleworlds,ithighlightshoweducationcanbedeterminedbyspheresof
identity.Whenevenonepartofastudent'slifeisincongruouswithgoodschooling,theidentityofthe
studentissusceptibletobeingunabletoperformwellinschool.
Throughpersonalexperienceasastudentwhohasgonethroughhighschoolandisgoing
throughtheuniversitysystem,Ihadonceexperienceissueswithidentity.Notcoincidentally,mystoryis
enabletocapturetheessenceofthepreviousconceptsofidentityandeducation.Myidentityisbased
largelyonmyparent'sbackground,whoemigratedherefromCambodia.Sincetheycameherethey
havebeenafirmbelieveroftheAmericandream,whichwastoldtomeascomingherewithalmost
absolutelynothing,andworkinghardtobesuccessful.Althoughtheybelievethatitwasjusttoolatefor
themselves,myparentscontinuedtoreaffirmtheAmericanDreamtomeandmysiblings.Assuch,my
identityhasbecomecongruouswithbeingstudiousandbeingsuccessfulinlife,andIessentiallylearned
tobecomethemodelminority.AndwhileIwantedtokeepthisimageofthemodelminority,Ioftenhad
secondthoughtsaboutthisidentitythatIhadstolenfromthedreamsofmyparents.Andoften,my
peersweretellingmetonotbemyparentsandbemyself.Andtodayincollege,Istillhaveproblems
distinguishingbetweenmyparent'sidentityandmyownidentityinsideofme,andithascometoaffect
howIvieweducation.Inotherwords,mysenseofidentityeasilyfollowsthetraditionalmultipleworlds
conceptasItriedtonavigatemyidentitybetweenmyparents,peers,selfandschool.Atthesametime,
IfeellikeIhadalsogonethroughtherejectionandacceptanceofthemodelminorityimage.However,
I'vecometorealizethatmyparentshadsetupmymultipleworldsformefromtheverybeginning,by
sendingmetotherightschoolsandwatchingcloselyoverme.
Afterestablishingalltheseissueswithidentityandhowtheyaffecttheperceptionofschool,the
solutionIwouldseeistoencouragestudentstoreachoutforhelp,andforschoolsto,andforschools
toprovideresourcesforstudentstoaccesswhentheyneedtoopenup.Althoughthissolutionisnot
veryspecificanddoesnottargetveryspecificproblems,itissimpleenoughtoapplytoanysituationat
school.Andthissolutionisverymuchthatstudentsandschoolsshouldmeeteachotherhalfway.For
example,usingthepreviousexampleofRichardRodriguez,hisstorycanbesummarizedasastudent
whowasexpectedtolosehisSpanishidentitytobringuponanewEnglishidentity.Inthiscase,the
schoolencouragedthestudenttoreachtheschool,withoutseemingtoprovideanadditionalsupport.In
anothercaseofastudyconductedbyMoll,theyattemptedtocreateaculturalbridgebybringing
researcherstostudentshometouse"fundsofknowledge"toapplytoschoollessonplans.Inthiscase,
itseemsasiftheschoolistendingtostudentsneedstoocloselywithoutmuchinputfromthestudents.
Furthermore,thisteacherstudentresearchisjusttoocostlyintimeandeffortforittobeafully
developedsolutiontoidentityissuesandhowitaffectseducation.Whatthesetwocasesshoulddois
ensurethatstudentsandschoolsmeethalfway.Schoolsshouldprovidetheresourcesforstudentstogo
towheninneedofaculturecenter,andstudentsshouldatleastmaketheefforttogototheseresource
centers.
Inconclusion,therearemanyinstancesanissuewithastudent'sidentity,whichcausesa
distortioninthewayastudentfeelsabouteducation.Inmanycases,theissuebecomesthecausesof
academicstruggleassuchinthecaseofOgbu'sstudyofAfricanAmericanstudentsorSoniainthe
multipleworldsstudy.Inothercases,asenseofidentitydoesbecomeasourceofacademicvigor,as
RichardMooreexcelledwithanidentitythatcollaboratedwitheachofhismultipleworlds.Althoughit
seemstobethatasimpleattentiontoidentitymightbethesolutiontogreateracademicsuccess,it
wouldbeadifficultsolutiontoimplementbecausethere'snosimplewaytochangeeveryone'sidentity
forthebetter.Becauseofthisdifficulty,thebestsolutiontokeepinmindistohaveschoolsandstudents
meeteachotherhalfway,inordertokeepadelicatebalanceofidentitybetweenthestudentandthe
school.

Afterestablishingalltheseissueswithidentityandhowtheyaffecttheperceptionof
school,thesolutionIwouldseeistoencouragestudentstoreachoutforhelp,andforschoolsto
,andforschoolstoprovideresourcesforstudentstoaccesswhentheyneedtoopenup.
Althoughthissolutionisnotveryspecificanddoesnottargetveryspecificproblems,itissimple
enoughtoapplytoanysituationatschool.Andthissolutionisverymuchthatstudentsand
schoolsshouldmeeteachotherhalfway.Forexample,usingthepreviousexampleofRichard
Rodriguez,hisstorycanbesummarizedasastudentwhowasexpectedtolosehisSpanish
identitytobringuponanewEnglishidentity.Inthiscase,theschoolencouragedthestudentto
reachtheschool,withoutseemingtoprovideanadditionalsupport.Inanothercaseofastudy
conductedbyMoll,theyattemptedtocreateaculturalbridgebybringingresearcherstostudents
hometouse"fundsofknowledge"toapplytoschoollessonplans.Inthiscase,itseemsasifthe
schoolistendingtostudentsneedstoocloselywithoutmuchinputfromthestudents.
Furthermore,thisteacherstudentresearchisjusttoocostlyintimeandeffortforittobeafully
developedsolutiontoidentityissuesandhowitaffectseducation.Whatthesetwocasesshould
doisensurethatstudentsandschoolsmeethalfway.Schoolsshouldprovidetheresourcesfor
studentstogotowheninneedofaculturecenter,andstudentsshouldatleastmaketheeffort
togototheseresourcecenters.
4.Languageisabigpartofidentityandproblemsoftenariseintheformofchallengesto
bilingualism,andwhetheritshouldbeendorsedinEnglishschools.Forexample,

Thoughidentityandeducationtouchonsomanyaspects,Iwillbefocusingparticularly
onthreeaspects:astudent'slanguage,theircomfortandconfidenceintheiridentity,andtheir
interchangeabilityoftheiridentitybetweenschoolandhome.Throughthesethreeaspectsof
identityandeducation,Iamabletoportraythateducationalstrugglescanoftenbesourcedtoa
problemwithidentity,andthatultimatelyweshouldtargetaspectsofstudentidentitywouldbea
beneficialalthoughcostlysolutiontoimprovingpooreducation.ThroughoutthisargumentIwill
addressseveralcasestudiesthathighlighttheimpactofidentityoneducation.
Languageisalargepartofofidentitythatcanpositivelyandnegativelyinfluenceachild's
experienceinschool,andInsituationswherethereareEnglishLanguageLearners,alanguage
barrieroftenharmsstudent'sabilitytodowellinschool,andresultinglytheydon'tachieve
academicsuccess.Forexam
Secondly,alargecontributiontoidentityandeducationisastudent'scomfortathome
andatschool.Howcomfortableastudentfeelsabouthisorheridentitymaybolsterorharma
studentsperformanceinschool.Inthecaseof[Koreanfeelingwhite][DominguezUsing
TagalogatSchool]
Becauseofspheresofinfluence,astudentmayhavedifficultytransitioningtheiridentity
betweenhomeandschool.[Usequotesfromlecture]
[UseTyson'sIt'sNotaBlackThing]
Paragraphabouthowacademicsuccessoftencamewithadifferentidentity(AVID)
TosumupRichardRodriguez,thiscanbeusedtoshowthatschoolsshouldnotbe
completelymoldingtheidentitiesofstudentstofitacademicsuccess.Itshouldbethatschools
shouldbetakingintoaccounttheidentitiesoftheirconstituents/populationtobetteraddressand
adjusttotheirstudentsforacademicsuccess.Simply,Iamsaying
[MollFundsofKnowledge]thatstudentsshouldnotbeexpectedtofullyadjusttothe
school,theschoolshouldbeprovidingresourcessothatthestudentsareabletomeetthem
halfway.

Afterestablishingalltheseissueswithidentityandhowtheyaffecttheperceptionofschool,the
solutionIwouldseeistoencouragestudentstoreachoutforhelp,andforschoolstoprovideresources
forstudentstoaccesswhentheyneedtoopenup.Althoughthissolutionisnotveryspecificanddoes
nottargetveryspecificproblems,itissimpleenoughtoapplytoanysituationatschool.Andthis
solutionisverymuchthatstudentsandschoolsshouldmeeteachotherhalfway.Forexample,usingthe
exampleofRichardRodriguez,hisstorycanbesummarizedasastudentwhowasexpectedtolosehis
SpanishidentitytobringuponanewEnglishidentity.Inthiscase,theschoolencouragedthestudentto
reachtheschool,withoutseemingtoprovideanadditionalsupport.Inanothercaseofastudy
conductedbyMoll,theyattemptedtocreateaculturalbridgebybringingresearcherstostudentshome
touse"fundsofknowledge"toapplytoschoollessonplans.Inthiscase,itseemsasiftheschoolis
tendingtostudentsneedstoocloselywithoutmuchinputfromthestudents.Furthermore,this
teacherstudentresearchisjusttoocostlyintimeandeffortforittobeafullydevelopedsolutionto
identityissuesandhowitaffectseducation.Whatthesetwocasesshoulddoisensurethatstudentsand
schoolsmeethalfway.Schoolsshouldprovidetheresourcesforstudentstogotowheninneedofa
culturecenter,andstudentsshouldatleastmaketheefforttogototheseresourcecenters.
Inmanycases,theissuebecomesthecausesofacademicstruggleassuchinthecaseofOgbu's
studyofAfricanAmericanstudentsorSoniainthemultipleworldsstudy.Inothercases,asenseof
identitydoesbecomeasourceofacademicvigor,asRichardMooreexcelledwithanidentitythat
collaboratedwitheachofhismultipleworlds.Althoughitseemstobethatasimpleattentiontoidentity
mightbethesolutiontogreateracademicsuccess,itwouldbeadifficultsolutiontoimplementbecause
there'snosimplewaytochangeeveryone'sidentityforthebetter.Becauseofthisdifficulty,thebest
solutiontokeepinmindistohaveschoolsandstudentsmeeteachotherhalfway,inordertokeepa
delicatebalanceofidentitybetweenthestudentandtheschool.

FinishedEssay:
TeddyTeaA10662187
EDS117
Makeba,Jones
June6,2014

IdentityCrisisinEducation

Aswehavebeendiscussinginclass,achild'sabilitytolearninschoolisinfluencedbymany
aspectsmainlyculture,languageidentity.Andwhilethatmeanswecaneasilyinfluenceachild'smind
andeducation,italsomeansmanyfactorscanhinderachild'seducation.Astudent'sidentityisoneof
themostimportantaspectindetermininghowtheyperceiveandexperienceschool,andproblemswith
identityoftenbecomeproblemsinacademicperformanceandsuccess.Countlessstudieshavebeen
conductedontheeffectsofidentityoneducation,butnottosayitiseasytoexplaintheseeffects,much
lessprovideanadequatewaytoaddressproblemswiththeseissues.WithinthisessayIwillbefocusing
onthreeaspectsofeducationalidentity:embracinganidentity,rejectingcertainidentitiesandthe
conceptofmultipleworlds,allofwhichdirectlyandgreatlyaffecthowastudentperceiveseducation.In
examiningthesestudies,Ihopetopinpointtheproblemsconcerningidentityandeducation,andproceed
inhopesofasolutiontotheseproblems.
Withinthescopeofidentityandeducation,therearegroupsofstudentswhotendtoreject
certainidentities.InthecaseofOgbu'sstudiesoneducation,hedidastudythatconcludedthatAfrican
Americanswereabletorejectacademicexcellencebecausetheyperceiveditasaformofsubmittingto
whiteculture.HeexplainedthatbecauseAfricanAmericanswereinvoluntaryimmigrants,theydidwhat
theycouldtomaintaintheiridentitybyresistingthedominantculture,andinthiscase,whiteculture.At
thispoint,OgbustudiedthattheseAfricanAmericanstudentswerereluctanttogetbettereducation,
becausetheywouldaccusedof"actingwhite".Inthesecases,theseAfricanAmericansseemedtobe
dealingwithastruggletomaintaintheiridentities,evenifitmeantnotpursuingacademicsuccess,
meaningthattheirethnicidentitiesweredirectlyruiningtheirdesiresforbettereducation.Inanotherhigh
schoolwhereFilipinomakeupthemajorityoftheschoolpopulation,thereisyetanotherfundamental
educationproblem.Atthehighschool,althoughthemajorityofthepopulationunderstandTagalog,the
nativeFilipinolanguage,alotofstudentsatthishighschoolareembarrassedtousethenativeatschool
amongtheirpeers.Theauthorofthisstudyarguesthatforthesestudents,"thepowerofEnglishasa
meansforgarneringsocialcapital,andconversely,asaperniciousstrategyofracialization,resultsina
lackofencouragementforimmigrantchildrentospeakTagaloginthehome"(Dominguez164).Because
ofthispreferencefortheAmericancultureandlanguage,theyessentiallyexpressthedesireforamore
Americanethnicidentity.Intheprocess,however,thestudentsatthishighschoolessentiallydevelopa
rejectionoftheirownidentityandculture.Thearticlespecifiesexampleswherethestudentsexpressthat
Tagalogis'ugly'andhowthesestudentsfeltthattheydidnothavethejustificationtousetheirown
languageorexpresstheirculturedespitebeingthemajorityinthehighschool.Althoughthisconceptof
rejectingtheirownidentityisforgoodintention,itdoesendupmakingsomestudentsattheschool
uncomfortabletobeinschoolanduncomfortabletobethemselves.Moreimportantly,awholecultureis
lostintheattempttostandardizethelanguageandculture.Alltheseissueswiththestruggleatthe
FilipinohighschoolandinOgbu'sstudyofAfricanAmericanrepresenttwodifferentissueswherethe
populationfeelsliketheyhavetorejectwhitecultureinonesituationandembracewhiteculturein
another,theybothseemtoendorsethecommunalneedtochangetheiridentitytofittheirownpersonal
standard.Thisstriveforanidealidentityjustshowsthatinsocietyreststheproblemofstudentstaking
uponnewidentitiesinsteadofembracingtheirown.
Ontheotherhand,anothersourceofconflictbetweenidentityandeducationcomesfrom
studentswhotryveryhardtoembracetheirsupposedidentitybecauseofstereotypes.Evenstudents
whoareacademicallysound,sufferfromidentityproblems,inwhichidentitybecomesasourceofsocial
anxiety.TaketheexampleofMeiMei,astudentataKoreanhighschoolwhostrugglesinternally
becausesheexemplifiesthemodelminorityimage.Sheexpressesthatbecauseofherhighexpectations,
sheseesthatafailuretoliveuptothisidentity"wouldmeanbeingperceivedasunacceptable"(Lee
420).Whatmakesthesecasesimportantisthatitshowsthatevenstudentswhoareacademically
successfulsufferfromissueswithidentity.Anotherstudentatthesamehighschool,expressedsimilar
viewsofmodelminoritystereotypethatresultedinasituationwhereMingcouldnotaskforacademic
help(Lee421).Atthesamehighschool,LeeexplainsthatKoreansseemedtohaveseparated
themselvesfromtheotherAsians,andwasdescribinganatmospherethatwasnothealthyforadiverse
learningenvironment.ShejustifiedthattheseKoreanswereembracingtheirethnicityasdominantand
sawitasareasontheyshouldbeclosertothewhitedominantculture.Asweobservehowthese
studentsrespondtopeerstereotypingandexpectationsinthishighschool,itiseasytoseethattheir
perceptionofschoolisnegativelyaffectedbytheseconceptsofidentity.
Thetransitionofastudent'sidentityastheymovefromschooltohometotheirpeersisalsoa
largepartofidentitythatcanattributetobeingrelatedtoeducation.Thefactisthatstudentshaveto
maintaintheiridentitybetweentheirmultipleworlds:athome,atschool,withtheirfriends,andwithin
themselves.Thisbecomesaproblem,because"manyadolescentsarelefttonavigatetransitionswithout
directassistancefrompersonsinanyoftheircontexts"(Phelan224).Andinthecasethatthesedifferent
worldsareincongruouswitheachother,thestudentwaslefttodealwiththespaceandthetransitioning
betweendifferentworldswithintheiridentity.Tobetterunderstandthisconcept,Phelanwritesthatthe
studyresultedinfourtypesofsituationsthatallstudentexperience.Thefirst(TypeI)describesasetting
inwhichthestudentlivesinacongruentworldswheretransitionsfromhometoschooltopeersis
smooth.Thelastofthefoursituations(TypeIV),ontheotherhand,describesasituationwhereworlds
haveborderswhichareimpenetrableandboundariesbetweentheseworldseventhoughinsurmountable
arelefttothestudenttodealwith.Thismultipleidentityconceptisaperfectexampleofhowidentity
distortstheperceptionofschooltostudents.Forexample,intheexampleofRyanMoore,whofallsinto
TypeI,shareshiscongruousworldasheshiftsfromleavingthebreakfasttablewherehetalkstohis
parents,tohisfriendsastheywalktoschoolwithouthavingtochangehispersonalityandessentiallyhis
identity.Hecontinuestodescribeatimewhenastudentwastradingbaseballcardsthedaybeforefinals
thatseemedtoshocktheneighborhood,toemphasizethefactthattheviewsofhisparents,hisfriends
andhisteachersallcenteraroundeducationandgoodschooling.Asaresult,Moore'sidentityfitsinall
situationsandaspectsofhislife.Incontrast,inTypeIV,weobserveastudentnamedSoniawho
preferstostayintherealmofherpeers,althoughtheydon'tfitthecongruenceherschoolandher
parents.Andbecauseshehastomakeanefforttosurmounttheboundariesbetweenherworlds,she
neglectstosplitheridentitybetweenschoolandpeersandresultantlyfailsinheracademicaspirations.
Withtheconceptofmultipleworlds,ithighlightshoweducationcanbedeterminedbyspheresof
identity.Whenevenonepartofastudent'slifeisincongruouswithgoodschooling,theidentityofthe
studentissusceptibletobeingunabletoperformwellinschool.
Throughpersonalexperienceasastudentwhohasgonethroughhighschoolandisgoing
throughtheuniversitysystem,Ihadonceexperienceissueswithidentity.Myidentityisbasedlargelyon
myparent'sbackground,whoemigratedherefromCambodia.Sincetheycameheretheyhavebeena
firmbelieveroftheAmericandream,whichwastoldtomeascomingherewithalmostabsolutely
nothing,andworkinghardtobesuccessful.Althoughtheybelievethatitwasjusttoolatefor
themselves,myparentscontinuedtoreaffirmtheAmericanDreamtomeandmysiblings.Assuch,my
identityhasbecomecongruouswithbeingstudiousandbeingsuccessfulinlife,andIessentiallylearned
tobecomethemodelminority.AndwhileIwantedtokeepthisimageofthemodelminority,Ioftenhad
secondthoughtsaboutthisidentitythatIhadsimplyinheritedfromthedreamsofmyparents.Atsome
timesinschool,IhadtroublewithmotivationbecauseIcouldnottellifitwasreallymewhowanted
educationorifitwasmyparentswhowantededucation.Andoften,mypeersweretellingmetonotbe
myparentsandbemyself.Andtodayincollege,Istillhaveproblemsdistinguishingbetweenmyparent's
identityandmyownidentityinsideofme,andithascometoaffecthowIvieweducation.Inother
words,mysenseofidentityeasilyfollowsthetraditionalmultipleworldsconceptasItriedtonavigate
myidentitybetweenmyparents,peers,selfandschool.Atthesametime,IfeellikeIhadalsogone
throughtherejectionandacceptanceofthemodelminorityimage.However,I'vecometorealizethat
myparentshadsetupmymultipleworldsformefromtheverybeginning,bysendingmetotheright
schoolsandwatchingcloselyoverme.
Inmostcasesweobservethatidentitiesseemtocreateuncomfortableforstudents,especiallyin
areaswherethereareconcentratedethnicgroups.InanotherstudybyWilliamLabovabouteducation
andidentity,comfortseemstobeanimportantfactorintheacademicsuccessofstudents.Thestudy
showedthatincomfortablesituations,achildwasabletoexpressnotonlyhimselfbuthisintelligenceto
aninterviewer.Inthestudy,heconductedmultipleinterviewswithablackboyinNewYorkand
emphasizedthedifferencebetweenwhenhewasaskingthechildquestionsinpropergrammatical
Englishversuswhenhewasconductingtheinterviewwhilehissubjectwascomfortable.Tosimulatethis
comfort,heplacedhimwithhisfriendandspokeinBlackVernacularEnglish,essentiallyembracingthe
subject'sidentity.Becausetheboywasinasettingwherehedidnothavetotrytobeadifferentperson,
theboywasablebetterexpresshiswhatheknew.AsaresultIwouldarguethatinuncomfortable
situationscreatedbymismatchedidentity,itwouldmakeeducationdifficult.Althoughthisstudyseemed
tofocusonlanguage,itisadequateforemphasizingtherelationshipbetweeneducation,comfortand
identity.
Instudyingthesesituations,itisimportanttopinpointconflictsineducationalproblemsbecause
wearealwayslookingforsolutions.Thestudiesshowthattheproblemliesintheuncomfortable
situationsthatarecreatedbyconflictswithinidentity,especiallyinareaswithconcentratedethnic
identities.Thesolution,however,isalittlehardertoaddress.AlthoughIwouldn'tsuggestthatethnic
concentrationsshouldbemorediverse,Iwouldsuggestthatsituationsshouldbecomelessextremeto
promoteabalanceofschoolandpersonalidentity.Forexample,theFilipinosshouldlearntoembrace
boththeirethnicidentitywhilesimultaneouslyembracingwhiteculture.OrintheexampleoftheAsian
Highschool,thestudentsshouldlearntorelaxtheirmodelminoritytensionsbyembracingothercultures
too.Tofurtherpromotethisbalance,schoolsreallyshouldprovideresourcecentersforstudentswho
needadditionalsupportinnavigatingtheiridentities.Withthesemoderations,theywouldcombatthe
extremitiesoftheproblemswithidentityandeducation.

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