By: Julia Garcia,

Natali Ortiz, and

Sydney Baker

EDU 280
Professor
Shkorupa
❖ 32 Million left Europe for the United States between 1830 and 1930
❖ People either came to the United States to earn money and return to their
home country or to make a new home here.
➢ Escaping poverty, war, and violence by leaving their homes behind
➢ The Greek government encouraged young men to emigrate and send money back to Greece
during the 1880’s after an economic depression
❖ Come from a variety of different places such as Italy, Greece, Ireland, France,
and Germany.
❖ Each group brought their own languages, cultures, traditions, and customs to
the already diverse nation
❖ Live in a variety of geographic areas across the United States
❖ Most immigrants to the United States settle near their port of entry
➢ 35% live in the West
➢ 31% live in the South
➢ 15% live in the Northeast
❖ It is difficult to determine peoples native countries because some become
United States citizens and are classified as permanent and others are not.
Italians Jews Germans
❖ Swarthy ❖ Stingy ❖ Evil
❖ Physical degradation ❖ Shrewd ❖ Incompetent
(low foreheads) ❖ Intellectual ❖ Mad
❖ Criminal Tendencies
❖ Prone to passion and
violence
❖ Characteristics vary by country and language along with other factors
❖ European Americans are best described as holding firm beliefs such as
privacy
❖ Interaction patterns are characterized by role specification, self-sufficiency,
competition, and communication
❖ European Americans place importance on time, cleanliness, hard work,
material comforts and wealth, and orientation toward work and the future.
● In general, Greek Americans are confident individuals and take tremendous
pride in individual achievement
● May find difficulties in cooperating with others especially in business work.
Instead they prefer a competitive atmosphere
● Greek Americans value careful saving, and are wise when using financial
resources and have been described to have love of honor
● Italian Americans have strong allegiance to family and like to stay where they
grew up.
Girls Boys
❖ Dependent ❖ Competitive
❖ Lack Confidence Behaviors
❖ Never outperform men ❖ Motivated
❖ Focus on relationships
and family
● It is nearly impossible to describe the socioeconomic
status for several European cultures
● Just like any other culture, there are both wealthy
and poor
● I agree with the author here because there isn’t a
generalization on socioeconomic statuses between
different cultures
German American Family Greek American Family Irish American Family
❖ Husband/Father are ❖ Strict sex roles ❖ Women dominate the
head of the household ❖ Men provide family life
❖ Fathers are self economic necessities ❖ Social life through the
controlled, reserved, ❖ Woman cater to church
strict, and stubborn men's desires and ❖ Women have a lot of
❖ German Women are wish to be good wives independence
hardworking, dutiful ❖ Valuing Family Honor ❖ Fathers are
and subservient. shadowy/absent
❖ How her husband/ figures
children look can be a ❖ Discipline is
source of pride to her maintained by
ridicule, belittling and
shaming
Italian American Families Polish American Families Portuguese American
❖ Father is the ❖ Respect for individual Families
authoritarian in his family members ❖ Keep feelings to
rule and guidelines for ❖ Father/Husband are themselves to avoid
behavior. leaders of the the loss of respect
❖ Mother provides the household and power
emotional sustenance ❖ Children raised in ❖ Man must maintain
for the family strict tradition of great physical and
❖ Extended family plays discipline emotional strength
an important role in ❖ Virtue and Purity are
decision making desirable feminine
qualities for women
❖ Italian and Polish Americans are predominantly Catholic
❖ Greeks have about 140 Greek Orthodox churches in the United States
❖ There are many Jewish immigrants whose primary motivation was escaping
anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union rather than religious freedom
➢ Some identify as culturally Jewish with an interest in Jewish history and literature, but unsure
about the meaning of some religious practices.
 ● Most learners from Germany and the
U.K. have trouble with the English
language
● Over half of Italians in the U.S.
experience difficulty with the English
language
● Obviously, there are several factors
that influence people’s abilities to
speak English

ex) if parents speak the native language or

school’s efforts provide programs in English
as a second language.
❖ Some schools don’t allow students from speaking and practicing languages
other than English (i.e. one Greek American teaching another Greek
American their native language)
❖ Failure to provide good ESL programs, allowing for learners to be taught in a
language they do not entirely understand
❖ Sometimes language difficulties give teachers the wrong impression of their
learners skills in a subject, so they are placed in classes that are either too
high or too low for them.
1. Explain how the concept of family for European Americans might vary
based
upon each factor as country of origin, date of immigration, socioeconomic
conditions and religion.

● Depending on these factors, the family may stress independance on the part
of the student, will expect you to come to the mom or the dad first regarding
issues with attendance or behavior, and more. They may also expect their
children to be more or less emotional depending on their specific culture or
gender. Overall, it is best to try to be as open as possible to each families way
of doing things and modify your communications with the students and
parents accordingly.
2. Elaborate on some steps which educators can utilize to help elevate
European American learners’ self-esteem and cultural identities.

● Express interest in the ethnic background of your students. Encourage your

students to research and share information about their ethnic background as
a means of fostering a trusting relationship with fellow classmates. Analyze
and celebrate differences in traditions, beliefs, and social behaviors. This task
helps European-American students realize that their beliefs and traditions
constitute a culture as well, which is a necessary breakthrough in the
development of a truly culturally responsive classroom. Also, take the time to
learn the proper pronunciation of student names and express interest in the
etymology of interesting and diverse names.
3. How might educators address the history of European Immigration into
the U.S. in a way that fosters multicultural awareness and understanding?

● Educators must remember to be understanding of other cultures and do their

best to help their students form a positive cultural identity within themselves.
They should do their best to work at providing all of their students with
accurate and objective materials about all cultures and work towards having
positive discussions about cultures. These conversations should be based
around breaking down differences and stereotypes.
4. Identify some of the common stereotypes attached to European American
groups in the popular media. What is the role of educators in dispelling
some of the perceptions?

● Italians have been stereotyped to have low foreheads, have criminal

tendencies, and being prone to passion and violence. Jews have been
stereotyped to be ungenerous, evil in nature and intellectual. Germans are
stereotyped to be evil, incompetent, or always grumpy. Educators should treat
every single individual as equal and not let those stereotypes get in the way of
students’ learning environment.
5. Address how some European Americans might have difficulty
appreciating the need for multicultural emphasis in education. What
challenges do they face in light of changing demographics?

● Some European Americans may have difficulty appreciating the need for
multicultural education because they are often the most well represented
group in just about every classroom and lesson. I think one of the biggest
challenges they will face in the future is no longer being the majority
population in America because they have been in the majority for so long and
are used to it.