The Far East Side of American Classrooms American sitcoms often mock societal trends and highlight the best and worst stereotypes of American cultures. Aibel and Berger, writers of the animated sitcom King of the Hill, made a very poignant statement in the episode “Westie Side Story”, when a Laotian family moves into the small Texas community (1997). The main character Hank Hill innocently asks his neighbor, “So, are you Chinese or Japanese?” His neighbor, Kahn Souphanousinphone, replies, “I live in California last twenty years, but I first come from Laos.” The country of Laos does not register with Hank nor with his friends, leading him to ask again, “Are you Chinese or Japanese?” The study of Asians in America reveals that marginalization
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Having recently moved from Okinawa to West Texas myself, I was eager to meet the hosts of the event; Ly Mai and I compared experiences and reminisced about Vietnam and Okinawa. Ly Mai described her greatest challenges and experiences with culture shock in the American classroom (personal communication, February 11, 2017). Teacher-student relationships in Vietnam, for example, are very businesslike and most classroom work is lecture based with no interaction between the teacher and the student. There is no eating or drinking in Vietnamese classrooms and, in most cases, students wear uniforms. “U.S. classrooms are often informal: students do not rise when the professor enters the room; students are often encouraged to address the professor by first name; students sometimes bring drinks or food to class” (Eberly Center, p.6). Another difference we discussed was participation, a key element in many American classrooms; students are encouraged to ask questions, debate, and defend their ideologies with classmates and teachers—even if they are wrong. Mai indicated that in many Asian cultures, it is considered rude and disrespectful for the inexperienced student to challenge an authority; silence in class is a sign of utmost respect (personal communication, February 11,
Having recently moved from Okinawa to West Texas myself, I was eager to meet the hosts of the event; Ly Mai and I compared experiences and reminisced about Vietnam and Okinawa. Ly Mai described her greatest challenges and experiences with culture shock in the American classroom (personal communication, February 11, 2017). Teacher-student relationships in Vietnam, for example, are very businesslike and most classroom work is lecture based with no interaction between the teacher and the student. There is no eating or drinking in Vietnamese classrooms and, in most cases, students wear uniforms. “U.S. classrooms are often informal: students do not rise when the professor enters the room; students are often encouraged to address the professor by first name; students sometimes bring drinks or food to class” (Eberly Center, p.6). Another difference we discussed was participation, a key element in many American classrooms; students are encouraged to ask questions, debate, and defend their ideologies with classmates and teachers—even if they are wrong. Mai indicated that in many Asian cultures, it is considered rude and disrespectful for the inexperienced student to challenge an authority; silence in class is a sign of utmost respect (personal communication, February 11,