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Essay Subject: Examines children's problems in U.S., focusing on Arab children in school. Multiculturalism, religion, values, bias, gender issues, language, more.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines children's problems in U.S., focusing on Arab children in school. Multiculturalism, religion, values, bias, gender issues, language, more. Paper Introduction: This research will examine emotional problems experienced by immigrant children, especially Arab children, upon their arrival in North America and how those problems are compounded by teachers who tend to stereotype immigrant students. The research will set forth the context in which teacher behavior assumes importance for immigrant children's emotional experience of North America and then discuss the impact that inefficient or insensitive teaching methods might have on the children's welfare, with a view toward identifying means of intervention and reform where the children's emotional well-being is concerned. From the earliest days of the republic, the U.S. has functioned as the world's promised land. For some, it was the land of opportunity, for others a refuge. Through most of the 19th century, newcomers were welcomed by Americans. Workers were neede Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. In recent years the emphasis of discourse has been on the quality oflife and experience of those who have come and who are still arriving, noton quotas. does. Controversy surrounds immigration patterns of recent years because ofdemographics of the most recent immigrant groups. In an educational environment marked by philosophical and theoreticalcontroversy, in which conflict is expected to be a normal feature of theschool experience, it is logical to also expect that conflict will be afeature of individual experiences of Arab schoolchildren. As King pointsout, "cultural ethnic unity and cultural identification are routinelydefined by language. (1964). It is estimated that by 2 5 , no single ethnic group,including those of white European descent, will comprise a majoritypopulation in the U.S. Linguistic and cultural differencesteachers should know. Amongsome advocates for Arab culture in the U.S., there is a view that Americaguarantees freedom "except if you are a Muslim" (Abdul-Adil, 1999). As the 199 s moved forward, however,multiculturalism became a highly charged word and concept, often associatedwith another charged term, political correctness, or PC. Cora Bagley Marrettand Cheryl Leggon (Eds.). . Hornblower (1995) reports the case of SalinaElementary School in Dearborn, Mich., where 9 % of the students are nativespeakers of Arabic whose academic performance is inferior to other studentsin the district. This is inthe background of Tuman's statement that "teaching our students to worktogether cooperatively" should not be confused with a failure to "compelthem as it were to master what is not yet theirs, whatever it may be"(Tuman, 1996, p. To be Arab is to speak Arabic" (1997, p. It ismore usual for advocates of accommodation to articulate their views in linewith multiculturalism, arguing that they are entitled to respect for theirembodiment of difference by the English-speaking U.S. (1996). America's corporate controlled media has brainwashed the general public with blatant anti-Islamic biases (Abdul-Adil, 1999).Citing incidents of legal prosecution of Muslims as part of an anti-Islamagenda, Abdul-Adil complains that "the sincere Muslims who work toward thisvictory for Islam are quickly labeled militant or fundamentalist by thedisbelievers (kaffirs) and their Muslim agent rulers." Tensions implicit in the Arab-immigrant experience surfaced inconnection with Islam-specific education in suburban Washington, D.C., inearly 1998, when some residents of Loudon County, Virginia, mobilized inopposition to construction of the Islamic Saudi Academy, which planned toteach Islamic subjects "in addition to the Virginia certified curriculum"(Turki, 1998, p. Arabculture is by and large associated with Islam, though some Arabs holdChristian and other non-Islamic faiths (El Badry, 1994). Greenwich, Connecticut: Jai Press Inc. Some feel if we just "keep our mouth shut," "don't start trouble," and "be good Americans" that no one will bother us, and we can have a happy life here. References Abdul-Adil, J. 128). Ross, L. Bernstein, R. After 188 , however, the nature ofimmigration changed. 1). While some immigrant advocates favor cultural isolation owing tohostility and intolerance, the situation for children in a public schoolforces interaction. Also, Islam itself issectarian, with divisions of belief among Shi'a, Sufi, and Sunni (Campbell,1964). Thisis antithetical to the secular education of American public schools. Emotional problems faced by Arab immigrant students can be compoundedby school systems and teachers. (1997, December 17). 13). Meanwhile, interpretations ofthe theories vary from one extreme to the other and cross racial, ethnic,political, social and cultural lines in complex ways. Tuman says that Western culture has "becomean age . Whereas the earlier immigration had originatedprimarily in northern and western Europe, later stream of immigration camelargely from southern and eastern Europe--from Italy, Poland, and Russia inparticular. (1997, April). Booth, W. 3). Additionally, theopposing theories come into prominence along with a number of side issues,including but not limited to appropriate public policy in the matter offree childhood schooling. L. of interpreters, people who recognize the legitimacy ofcompeting ways of living in the world and thus are concerned to day withproducing a school system that stresses the teaching and acceptance ofdifference" (1996, p. as the world's most prominent model ofsocial justice. C. Home culture and mother tongue are a part of the child's very being, and teachers who criticize those elements are criticizing something fundamentally important to the child. 96). In other words,the emotional problem of alienation and isolation can be traced to exposureto the American education system, which is implicated in exposure toAmerican culture more generally. One reason for this is a tendency tostereotype immigrant students, and that can come about in various ways.Gitlin (1995) describes controversy surrounding the content of a worldhistory textbook that portrayed a description of Mohammed the prophet(forbidden by Islam) and an illustration of a camel and its trappings in achapter on Islam's roots. 291). 76). One nation, indivisible: Is it history?The Washington Post, A1 Campbell, J. As a demographic group, Muslims are viewed associal conservatives who favor religious education (El-Badry, 1994). (1995). In 1921, Congress formally curbed other "newimmigration" with a quota system that was more or less in force until 1965.The Immigration Act of that year gave equal immigration rights to for allnationalities in response to charges of preference to white Europeans.Since 1965, most immigrants have come from "Asia and Latin America--Mexico,the Central American countries, the Philippines, Korea, and Southeast Asia"(Booth, 1998, p. ChildhoodEducation, 71, 14-19. While this research found no evidence that any modern Arab or Islamicnation-states have ever intended or attempted to tolerate (still lesspursue as a national policy) linguistic and cultural difference in eithersociety in general or public education in particular for either recentimmigrants or residents of long standing, not all advocates ofaccommodation of cultural and linguistic difference, including those ofArab origin, articulate an agenda for overthrow of the secular U.S.government in favor of establishing the U.S. (1995, July-August). Bernstein viewsmulticulturalism as "the dérapage [rough translation: the "slippery slope"]of the civil rights movement" (1994, p. From the earliest days of the republic, the U.S. Does that relieve the teacher of the responsibility to provide appropriate classroom experiences in standard English? These type of opinions ignore the fact that this Western lifestyle directly contradicts our Islamic lifestyle in beliefs (separation of Church and state, verses, worship Allah in every aspect of life), actions (man decides for himself what to do verses, Allah decides what man must do), purpose (please yourself verses, please Allah), and ruling system (man makes the rules verses, Allah makes the rules). There was asteady wave of Chinese immigration as cheap labor until 1882 and theChinese Exclusion Act, which "denied the Chinese the rights of immigrationand naturalization, prevented them from entering certain professions, andled to the creation of a small, disenfranchised, lower-class Chinesepopulation in the United States" (Kuo, 1982, p. This task becomes more difficult when the child does not understand the teacher's language (Okagaki & Sternberg, 1994, p. RI88 62 7. Islamic Forum, 1, . Forexample, corporate America may value bilingual capability, but that is notthe same as rewarding standard-English or social incompetence. Columbus, Ohio: Merrill Publishing Company. has functioned as theworld's promised land. If the teacher is unfamiliar withthat fact and fails to communicate the background for the behavior to theclass, the child could suffer needless embarrassment among peers.Quisenberry (1993) drives home the need for teacher sensitivity tolinguistic issues in the classroom. C.: Office of Educational Research andImprovement, U. Gollnick, D. Smith (1996) refersto the "cultural tightrope" of school-age immigrants, especially girls,whose home environment effectively insulates them from engagement with (letalone assimilation into) American students: Many of America's growing number of Arab immigrants come from traditional Muslim societies that define the role of women and men very differently than the U.S. Thomas Sowell (Ed.). C. New York: Knopf. D. This research will examine emotional problems experienced by immigrantchildren, especially Arab children, upon their arrival in North America andhow those problems are compounded by teachers who tend to stereotypeimmigrant students. Between two worlds. that anyone who expects to compete successfully in the mainstream willhave to conform to or at least be aware of the linguistic and culturalnorms of that mainstream. AmericanDemographics, 44-6. but now the very same people who fought for personal liberation a generation ago are striving to impose on others a secularized religion involving a set of values and codes that they believe in, disguising it behind innocuous labels like "diversity training" and "respect for difference" (Bernstein, 1994, p. J. was sharply restricted by her parents, especially her father, owing tofears of her being influenced to engage in premarital sex. El-Badry, S. Workers were needed for growing industry; farmers were needed tofill out the wide spaces in the West. Fokes, J., et al. Understanding Islam in America. Unfortunately, too many Muslims have been tricked by America's hypocritical hyperbole. In dramatic opposition to the melting pot theory is the theory ofmulticulturalism, which is relevant to the immigrant experience in Americato the degree it is consistent with the view that the U.S., as a country offreedom, should accommodate culture-specific differences of language,education, family custom and practice, and so on, as a matter of socialjustice. (1995). Many immigrant Muslim parents, who often have strict conservative values and rules of behavior, are very protective of their daughters, who they fear may be wrongly influenced by American culture (Smith, 1996, p. (1986, March 31). (1995, October 9). Turki, F. Learning how the world works begins in schoolsettings, and if it involves honoring difference, it also involvesproviding a realistic picture of educational and social expectations. 18).Whether bilingual education is available as a matter of policy, the role ofthe classroom teacher in communicating effectively is difficult tooverstate. (1991). Dictatorship of virtue: Multiculturalism and thebattle for America's future. (1999). Petersen, W. 38), and describes it as nodifferent from Maoist thought control. M., & Chinn, P. Gollnick and Chinn (1991, p. 55). Oneextreme view is that all must conform to a single standard of religion,culture, or language, but less extreme views cite a single language(English) as a national unifying factor. The objection arose because it was the onlyanimal used to describe an entire culture. Consideredattention to verbal and nonverbal communication should help them inferappropriate behavior and classroom strategies while also absorbing moreEnglish proficiency. (1985, January-March). AmericanEthnic Groups. andArab/Islamic countries. But there is compellingevidence that implementing the goals of multiculturalism can be difficulteven when that is the intent of the educational system. But the emotional problem here maycome from the fact that the student may be caught between two cultures--that of public school and generally permissive secular American culture onone hand and that of a home where parents hold strong socially conservativeviews and by custom and practice expect to govern their children's socialbehavior. Alawyer for the Saudi government urged opponents to "bear in mind that whatwe're talking about is a school for children and not a terrorist trainingorganization" (Turki, 1998, p. On the other hand, expectations of studentcompetence can be set beside obligations of teacher competence where thetask of merging immigrant particularity with American diversity anddiffusion is concerned. Washington, D. As of 199 , some 3 % of all school-age immigrants, or about 12million people, were from some minority groups (Gollnick & Chinn, 1991),i.e., not of white European ethnic origin. 41-6 . Yet the debate over bilingual education shows that for many of thenewest immigrants, language-related emotions can run high. 4) explain that students shoulddevelop a multicultural perspective to "enhance" the following:A good self-concept and self-understanding.Sensitivity to and understanding of others, including cultural groups inthe United States and other nations.The ability to perceive and understand multiple, sometimes conflicting,cultural and national interpretations of and perspectives on events,values, and behavior.The ability to make decisions and take effective action based on amulticultural analysis and synthesis.Open minds when addressing issues.Understanding of the process of stereotyping, a low degree of stereotypicalthinking, and pride in self and respect for all peoples. Childhood Education, 7 , 96-7. Language and Speech, 28, 81-92. 24). Wise, G. Boston, Mass.: Allyn & Bacon. The relevance ofthis to the Arab immigrant experience is obvious vis-à-vis Suleiman's(1996) view that Arab culture in particular is widely perceived in Americain negative terms. In the background of multiculturalism is evidence of growing awarenessof academic discourse engaged by "a pluralistic rather than a holisticapproach to American culture; an accompanying rediscovery of theparticular; an emphasis on proportion rather than essence in culturalexperience; and a cross-cultural, comparative dimension to Americanstudies" (Wise, 1979, p. Anti-Muslim bigotry, alive and well in theUSA. Kuo, C. Multicultural education forexceptional children. Many here trace roots in Iraqi village.The Detroit News, B1. 12). New York: The Urban Institute. Typically, the parents tell their children to behave, be good, be quiet and obey. Abdul-Adil concludes that the only wayMuslims in America can "safely and successfully practice Islam" is to work tirelessly to establish a completely Islamic environment (i.e., an Islamic State ruled by the Shari'ah) where Muslims can freely and properly worship Allah in every aspect of life, including political, economic, military, and educational affairs (Abdul-Adil, 1999). Immigrant childrenmay suffer to the degree this implementation is not successful or to thedegree it encounters resistance or incompetence on the part of teachers.That would help explain why Gollnick and Chinn (199 , 1991) are soconcerned to advise teachers to recognize both subtle and blatant forms ofcultural bias, including the child's experience of invisibility,stereotyping, selectivity and imbalance in classroom situations, unreality,fragmentation, isolation, and language barriers. Quisenberry, J. Railroads sent agents to Europe, inthe years following the Civil War, to advertise the vast richness of thecountry to encourage prairie settlement. The literature does not deal to a great extent with the specificexperience of Arab immigrant children in American public education.However, certain studies and anecdotal observances have suggested that thefactor of invisibility is a core source of potential emotional problems forthose children. Aggravating confusions fostered by institutions and competing advocacygroups may be the opposite cultural messages that a child, particularly ayounger child, receives from home and from the classroom environment: [T]he classroom's social customs do not always match the customs of their family cultures. As one of the book authors later explained, "From theorthodox Moslem point of view, it plays on the stereotype of the Arab as a'camel jockey'" (Gitlin, 1995, p. are at minimum in line with, and appearas a matter of statistical proportions to surpass, the accomplishments ofnon-Arabs, whether American born or not. 4) cites "a strain ofAmerican liberalism that defined itself in nostalgic devotion to themelting pot." This explains liberal strands of opposition to bilingualeducation in the U.S. Programparticipants' reading and math skills increased compared to nonparticipantcounterparts (Solorzano, 1986). Religion is one of the most obvious issue fronts. He or she might open it from the back inasmuch as Arabic iswritten right to left, not left to right. Quisenberry adds that teachers should be alert to opportunities topresent the child's home and culture in a positive light. Masks of God: Occidental mythology. D. Chinese Americans and Japanese Americans. First, at its most rigid, it seems completelyirreconcilable with the melting pot theory. L. (1996, March 8). . About 12 percent ofimmigrants have graduate degrees (8 percent of the American-born). Questions have arisen around the issue of whether new arrivalsshould be "Americanized" from a variety of perspectives, and they remainunresolved and vexed. 293). New York:Penguin Books. The greatest religious culture clash of Arab immigrants appears toarise among Arab Muslims. Connect with kids and parents of differentcultures. Theodore Roosevelt demanded that all immigrantsimmediately cut all ties with their past, learn English, and conform to theAnglo-Saxon model (King, 1997, p. News &World Report, 1 , 2 -1. (1998, January 15). On the otherhand, on a trip home to Egypt, "I felt like an outcast because I'd say anddo things the other girls wouldn't" (Smith, 1996, p. Where thereis not a positive learning environment along the lines of multiculturaleducation recommendations, educational outcomes could suffer because of theattack to emotional self-esteem. Torrance(Eds.). The research will set forth the context in whichteacher behavior assumes importance for immigrant children's emotionalexperience of North America and then discuss the impact that inefficient orinsensitive teaching methods might have on the children's welfare, with aview toward identifying means of intervention and reform where thechildren's emotional well-being is concerned. The children must figure out on their own what is appropriate behavior in the classroom and how to obey the teacher's directions. American Quarterly, 31, 293-337. Scholastic Update, 128,12-13. (1994, Fall). Department of Education, contract no. Again, of course not. Modes ofThought: Explorations in Culture and Cognition. Around 185 , Charles Crocker imported Chinese laborers to helpbuild the Central Pacific railroad, for "white workers kept deserting toseek their fortune in the gold fields" (Petersen, 1978, p. Research in Ethnic and Race Relations. It is a commonplace of dominant economic and social culture in theU.S. Gitlin, T. Smith, P. Thus itis possible that being forced into English-only classroom instruction, orto be ridiculed or otherwise singled out for lack of comprehension by aninsensitive teacher for linguistic incompetency, could lead to identity andcompetency crisis at the very moment that an immigrant student has a needfor personal success in an unfamiliar environment. (1993, Winter). Time, 146,4 -6. At that time, public-policyexperts favored imposing on educators an affirmative obligation to developcurricula reflecting cultural diversity and exceptionality and to fostersocial attitudes and values that would preserve and promote ethnic andcultural diversity as a positive quality of society (Gay, 1977; Gollnick &Chinn, 1991). C.Lee (Ed.). Suleiman's review (1996) of the experience of Arab childrenin American schools defines invisibility in terms of identity group self-image and self-projection in the context of a dominant culture that viewsArab visibility in negative terms. This implies that the status of immigrantchildren, including but not limited to Arab children, becomes relevant. Because many of their parents have little prior knowledge about American school culture, they are not able to teach their children specific strategies for adjusting to an English- speaking classroom. It is only the teacher who can control how the cuesare conveyed; students cannot be expected to initiate communication if theydo not perceive the environment as safe. While his emphasis is on Englishdialect, the analogy to non-English languages seems appropriate as far asteacher behavior is concerned. Solorzano, L. U. It follows that new children at school would desire tofit in socially as well as academically. Gollnick, D. D. Should English be the law? Compare the Dearborn case to a 1986 case inHamtramck, Mich., where Arab immigrant students were taught only inEnglish, then only in Arabic, for half days, respectively. In the area ofDetroit, Mich., there is a concentration of multigenerational Arabimmigrants and Islam. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. . 1) to some 3,5 students from 35 Islamic cultures. Experts advise teachers to be alert to biases and culturalassumptions that they bring into the classroom and to counter them withmulticultural curricula and teaching aids. 89). Jackson, M. Thisview implicates American public education as an instrument of an Americanculture that has been described as hostile to Arab culture. S. Through most of the 19th century, newcomers were welcomed byAmericans. Battleground U.S.A.: America's assault on Islamand the Muslims! R. S. If teachers don't accept the child's home dialect at the beginning, they might unconsciously (or consciously) start to feel that there is something wrong with the child. Thus immigrant Arab femalestudents may be forbidden to socialize with school friends, have sleep-overs, or go out on dates; inability to acculturate in this way isforbidden solely to girls, not to boys. This can be aggravated by negative andintolerant student attitudes, which can be picked up from popular cultureand nightly news cues about political tensions between the U.S. Another issue touching emotional problems for immigrant students islong-term practical consequences of failing to master standard Englishusage. (1982). 3rd Ed. "Paradigm dramas" in American Studies: A cultural andinstitutional history of the movement. Perspectives onkindergarten: Rafael, Vanessa and Jamlien go to school. (199 ). Counseling youth of Arab ancestry. 334). Putting tongues in check. The whole point of the liberal revolution that gave rise to the 196 s was to free us from somebody else's dogma . Multicultural education in apluralistic society. There is no doubtabout the existence of cultural conflict between Arab and American valuesmore generally. . A much-debated issue today is whethera new, composite American develops out of the "melting-pot" of America andnational traits really "melt and fuse" into the American culture. Arab News, 1. Counseling fordiversity: A guide for school counselors and related professionals. Educating the melting pot. Okagaki, L., & Sternberg, R. When the school superintendent wanted to establish a so-called "two-way Arabic-English program" with a $5-million federal grant,the local board of education rejected the idea, and critics blasted theidea of using public funds specifically for the city's Arab population ofnon-English speakers. Suleiman explains that the majoremotional problem of Arab immigrant children in elementary and secondaryeducation settings is one of self-esteem and identity crisis. (1994, January). Instructor, 1 5, 51-54. But those classroom experiences will probably not be successful if teachers view home culture and dialect as an illness to be cured (Quisenberry, 1993, p. . A1). . (1994). Tuman, M. From 1882 until 1924the Act remained in force. She cites a veteran ESL teacher's observation that children inany new setting may be initially excited, but then may face emotions ofstupidity, loneliness, and depression, which could last for three months ormore. Official public-school policy and culture clash more generally alsocome into the language issue. C. However, there are non-Islamic Arab communities, suchas the Iraqi Chaldeans, whose religion is Eastern Rite Catholic, in thearea as well (Wowk, 1997). For some, it was the land of opportunity, for othersa refuge. Acquisition of English voicingcontrast by Arab children. Olson & N. (1978). M., & Chinn, P. as an Islamic state. 282-293. Perceptions of assimilation among the Chinese in theUnited States. Twilight of common dreams: Why America is wracked byculture wars. Hornblower, M. In traditional Arab culture, Smith explains, girls who are seen inpublic with boys bring dishonor to their family. classroom systempursuant to the image of the U.S. Consider the potentialembarrassment for an Arab immigrant student who has never read a book inEnglish. This does not mean that issues of accommodation are easy to resolve.For example, it seems unlikely that American public schools will departfrom their secularism in favor of any religion. Smith cites the bewilderment of animmigrant Egyptian girl whose behavior (unlike that of her brothers) in theU.S. Christian and Islamic Arabs appear to beidentified culturally, as are Iranians, who are not considered an ArabSemite people but who are primarily Muslim. King, R. Wowk, M. The emotional problem implied bysuch portrayals is one of self-esteem, which can affect educationalperformance outcomes. New York: Metropolitan Books/Henry Holt. Easy teenage sex and unwedmotherhood appear to be the greatest fears. (1998, February 22). Okagaki and Sternberg (1994) say that teachers must provide multiplecues of communication, both verbal and nonverbal, for non-English speakers.Multiple cues seem especially important where the language barrier scompounded by the barrier of culture and social praxis. For example, while opposition tobilingual education has been readily identified with political and socialconservatives (Solorzano, 1986), King (1997, p. Morethan 33%, however, have no high school diploma, more than double the figurefor the American born (Booth, 1998). Network, the verb, and modes of thought. The debate over multiculturalism is relevant to the present researchfor several reasons. Alternatively, there may be an emotional problem owing to theisolation of the immigrant child from fellow students. Ross (1995) advises teachers tobe sensitive to the fact that immigrant students are entering an unfamiliarenvironment. . The AtlanticMonthly, 55-62. In the Arab-ancestry population,estimated at about 725, around the country (Bureau of Census, 1998a),about 225, are enrolled in schools from preprimary to college levels.Among the 445, or so who are 25 years of age or over, more than 8 % haveat least a high school education, and more than 15% have graduate degrees.In other words, as far as educational attainment in general is concerned,Arab-ancestry persons in the U.S. (1979). If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.