Experience Destroys Stereotypes of Asian Children

By Jonathan Sanfilippo

contributing writer

Growing up in the United States, I often heard stereotypes about children in Asian schools.

When I was in elementary school, teachers tried to get our classes to behave by telling us students in Asian countries were quieter and more studious than we were.

When I was in high school and college, many of my peers assumed that all Asian students were academically driven and uninterested in fun.

Even as I venture through adulthood, many of the people I’ve talked with in the U.S. have a perception that all children in Asian schools are silent, obedient and focused solely on learning.

Throughout most of my 28 years of my life, I’ve lived in an American society where conversation and media, such as movies and television, almost always depict students in Asian countries with these mundane stereotypes.

But after moving to Seoul and teaching at a hagwon for a little more than a month, I’ve learned they aren’t true.

In reality, Asian children _ at least the Korean students I teach _ are similar to children you’d find in the United States.

Like in U.S. elementary schools, each Korean classroom I walk into is filled with children who have wonderfully colorful personalities. Every day I go to work, I see them smiling, laughing, talking, being creative.

Some of my students like to tell jokes and play pranks. I’ve had classes where the children make humorous comments about the material they’re studying or draw funny pictures and give them to me as presents. They’ve even teased me about my haircut. (I usually shave my head.)

Some of my students like to act and perform. I’ve watched them enthusiastically stand in front of the classroom and pretend to be characters or animals they’ve learned about in stories or vocabulary lists. I’ve had children come up to me and impersonate people in their families or reenact things that happened in school.

Some of my students like to sing. Whenever they learn a new song or hear a catchy phrase in a storybook, they sing or chant it over and over again.

Like American children, Korean students would rather play games or socialize with each other than study quietly. They smile and cheer when they get to do hands-on activities, watch cartoons or go to physical education class. They’d much rather be up moving around than sitting at a desk with a pencil and paper.

Like American children, Korean students enjoy eating candy and ice cream. They love bringing in candy _ chocolate, cookies, fruit snacks and so on _ to share with their classmates on snack days. When I gave ice cream to a few of my classes as a reward for good behavior, the students went wild.

While teaching in Korea, I’ve come to the conclusion that all children have a lot in common, regardless of what part of the world they live in. They all have special qualities, and they all like to have fun.

America needs to realize that Asian children aren’t any different.