Message from mwilkins

[Anonymous]

Hi! I teach ESL at the high school level. Most of my students are also hispanic/latino, however, I do have several Asian students. I have had a similar experience to yours regarding hispanic attitudes toward new cultures. The Asian culture seems to be regarded as mysterious, unknown and intimidating. Initially, some of my Latino students were rude to my Asian student and made fun of his desire and ability to excell academically. However, eventually, most of my students came to admire or at least accept his work ethic and academic prowess. Everyone wanted to sit near him in the hopes of getting ideas and/or copying his paper! In turn, he learned to enjoy some aspects of the Latino culture such as working together in groups, having parties and enjoying delicious foods. In the future, I plan to do more to introduce my class the Asian culture and indeed, all cultures. Every culture has something to contribute!