Just Like Us?

During a recent visit with a high school friend, I was sharing about my experiences as a college professor and my scholarly interests.  My friend recommended that I read the book, Just Like Us (Thorpe, 2009).  The book tells the story of four young Mexican women as they transition from their last year of high school through four years of college.  While the women all share the same heritage, only two of them were undocumented.  Their stories unfold amidst both state and national debate related to immigration policy.  Family transitions and a notable local shooting of a police officer by an undocumented immigrant also fuel the account.  While the story telling was a little bumpy at times, the book did provide some unique insights into a very complicated social, political, and economic issue.

The four young women featured in Just Like Us shared the quality of being very academically successful.  The undocumented status of two of the women significantly shaped the choices related to pursuing higher education.  They were highly capable, but unable to access funding structures that typically help students pay the steep costs of college.  Eventually, all four women found a college. Like most students, their college experience was not only a time for academic learning, but also a time for also learning about themselves within the wider world.  

The overarching theme of immigration is far too complicated and beyond the scope of this blog, but as I read Just Like Us, I was continually struck by the familiarity of the content.  Familiarity?  No, this is not a story that connects with my own life narrative.  Rather, the experiences shared about the four young women in the book could have been replaced by stories that I have heard first hand from students.  I can only recall one situation where students even broached the topic of their status, but through focus groups and 1:1 discussions, Latino/a students have shared their perceptions of being judged by both their professors and peers.  Like the characters in this story, several students have shared the challenges of making the transition from a high school that has a higher percentage of students of color to a campus that is predominately middle-class Caucasian.  The transition challenges come from not only racial and ethnic differences, but also differences of socioeconomic status.  These students are often negotiating a bi-cultural identity which sometimes forces them to restrict parts of themselves in order to serve that they see as the manifestation of the self that is desired by one outside group or another.

I am admittedly overwhelmed by the larger issues related to immigration.  The political and social layers of this question have not become any more clear since 2009.  In fact, the questions become more complicated as we hear about the rising number of unaccompanied children who are coming into the United States from Mexico and Central America.  We can only imagine the trauma that these children have faced in their home countries and the continuing struggle as they try to find a place to call home.  

One step that we can all take is to listen to larger narrative and then look for opportunities to know the individual stories so that we can develop a more critical understanding of the issues.  

Thorpe, H. (2009). Just Like Us: The True Story of Four Mexican Girls Coming of Age in America.

New York: Schribner.

The Bronzeville Children’s Museum: Reflecting a Cultural Perspective

I recently had the pleasure of visiting the Bronzeville Children’s Museum in Chicago.  This museum is “the first and only African American children's museum in the country” which was “named after Bronzeville, where African Americans settled in Chicago after coming from the South” (http://www.bronzevillechildrensmuseum.com). 

This museum was aptly described by Southtown Star reporter Howard Ludwig as “not typical”.  I have had the opportunity to visit several children’s museums as both a parent and researcher and concur with Ludwig’s assessment.  Like Ludwig, I agree that “not typical” does not imply a negative.  Typical indicates something that is representative or usual and therefore to be not typical suggests something that is different from the mainstream. 

Most children’s museums provide child and family-centered experiences that promote children’s learning through active engagement and exploration.  Children’s museums often reflect a highly constructivist orientation in which the child leads the learning with adult scaffolding which extends or enriches the child’s experience.   While these models are firmly based on a rich history of developmental philosophy and research, they have also been criticized by some for being too focused on a dominant perspective.  Gaskins (2008) argued, “that parents from certain cultural groups, based on their shared cultural beliefs about childhood, may not consider play as learning and may not consider it appropriate for adults to organize or participate in play” (p. 1-2).  The typical children’s museum may not appeal to some families based on their structure.

The Bronzeville Children’s Museum uniquely identifies itself as an African American children’s museum.  Rather than a variety of exhibit spaces that encourage free choice, exploration and play, children and their parents are guided through a four-part structured experience that is firmly based on a direct instruction model.  The goals of the lessons are clear.  The expectations for both adults and children are explicit.  The learning outcomes are discrete.  Children and their families are exposed to imagery of Chicago area African American leaders in industry, government, and service.  Most importantly, children are provided with messages about their capabilities and potentials.

The highly structured model of the Bronzeville Children’s Museum may not appeal to families who frequent the typical children’s museum, but it is an important institution which beautifully represents a culturally responsive model of educating children and their families.  Children’s museums are institutions which reflect the philosophies and practices of their communities.  It was a delight to learn more about this unique community establishment.

Gaskins, S. (Winter 2008). The Cultural Meaning of Play and Learning in Children’s Museums. Hand to Hand, 22(4), 1-2, 8-11.

Ludwig, H. (April 18, 2013). Stay-at-home dad: Bronzeville Chidren’s Museum not typical. Southtown Star. Retrieved from: http://southtownstar.suntimes.com/lifestyles/ludwig/19523752-452/stay-at-home-dad-bronzeville-childrens-museum-not-typical.html