(Week 2 Children's Book: Diversity) "Korean Names Mean Something!" Embrace Your Culture by Embracing Your Name

It has to be one on the most frustrating things in the world when someone mispronounces your name, or worse doesn't care to learn it and gives you a "nickname" to make up for it. This is something that happens all too often to children who immigrant to the United States and find themselves in American school. The "native-born" students have a hard time with pronunciation of the names of their new classmates and either butcher them, or unfortunately use this as ammunition for picking on the new kids. This can happen as a way for the American student(s) to hide their embarrassment/incompetence and to shift the focus on the new kid. In Yangsook Choi's book The Name Jar, young Unhei has just come to America from Korea, and she is excited for her first day at her new school. While still on the bus, she reflect of the last time she spoke with her grandmother who is still in Korea. Her grandmother gave her an ink pad and red satin pouch with a block of wood with Unhei's name carved into it. Unhei's grandmother tells her "Your name is inside". 

Unhei's reflections are interrupted by some kids on the bus that begin talking to her and asking her name. When Unhei tells them, they immediately start trying and failing to say it correctly (OON-HAY). Unhei tries and tries to correct them, but is no use. she is left embarrassed and worried that this will be the same reaction that she will receive from now on. Once Unhei finally gets to her classroom, she tells the class that she hasn't picked a name yet. This confuses everyone in the room. That night, Unhei and her mother discuss Unhei wanting to change her name to sound more American. The mother is understandably taken aback and she tells Unhei that she and Unhei's grandmother went specifically to a name master to choose her name. Her mother also tells her, "It is good to be different" even though that bit of advice falls on deaf ears (as does most parental advice).                                                                          

 

As she is trying out various names for herself, Unhei and her mother go to a Korean grocery in her neighborhood. Here she meets Mr. Kim and she tells him her Korean name. He immediately reminds her that her name means grace. The following day at school, Unhei finds a jar filled with tiny pieces of paper on her deck. The pieces of paper have names on them that the other students wrote to help Unhei choose a name.  Unhei mulls this over while she and later talks a boy at her school named Joey. He asks what her name is and she shows him her name stamp. She tells him that her grandmother gave it to her and that she fills a paper with its image every time Unhei misses her. They quickly become friends. A letter comes from Unhei's grandmother that evening and in the letter she writes telling Unhei how much she misses her and to be helpful to her mother. She ends her letter with, "You'll always be my Unhei." A couple of days later, Unhei meets Joey at Mr. Kim's grocery store. She is confused to see him there but quickly dismisses it. At school on the following Monday, Unhei finds that her name jar is gone. Everyone in the class is baffled as to where it has gone. This is the moment that Unhei decides to share the name she chose with the class. She writes both the English and Korean translations of her name. She tells the class the meaning of her name and coaches her classmates and teacher until everyone is able to pronounce it correctly, "I liked my name best, so I chose it again!"  

At the end of class, Unhei tries to find Joey, but he is already gone. Later that evening, Joey came to Unhei's house to give her back the name jar. He explains that he wanted to take it, so she would keep her own name. He also tells her that he had Mr. Kim help him come up with his own Korean nickname and name stamp. When he shows her the stamp she sees that his name is Chingu (which means friend). 

Discussion and Classroom Application

In today's society its nothing new to see someone changing their name in order to fit in to a certain group. We see it everyday with celebrities from all platforms. Here are a few well-known celebs who have made the switch

• Nina Dobrev (Vampire Diaries)- Nikolina Konstantinova Dobreva
• Natalie Portman (Star Wars, Thor, Where the Heart Is)- Neta-Lee Hershlag
• Brie Larson (Captain Marvel)- Brianne Sidonie Desauliniers
• Mindy Kaling (The Mindy Project, Velma)- Vera Mindy Chokalingam
• Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad)- Aaron Sturtevant
• Charlie Sheen (Two and a Half Men)- Carlos Irwin Estevez
• Ben Kingsly (Schindler's List, Gandhi, Ender's Game)- Krishna Bhanji

As you can see, the original names of these amazing actors were not simply exchanged for a stage name. These were culturally diverse names that each person felt they needed to change to seem more "English", or because they got tired of constantly having to correct pronunciations of their name. This is exactly what we saw in The Name Jar. This anglicization of names is very common, almost to the point where it is expected for anyone who comes to America to adopt an American name. There is a sense of urgency for immigrants to immerse themselves in American culture as a way to prove not only to everyone else, but to themselves that they are now truly "American. In From Hasan to Herbert: Name‐Giving Patterns of Immigrant Parents between Acculturation and Ethnic Maintenance, we see that the first and most prominent way people accomplish the adoption of a new culture comes in the way they name their children, "Names often indicate belonging to a certain ethnic group. When immigrant parents choose a first name for their child that is common in their host society, they show a high degree of acculturation" (Gerhards & Hans, 2009). However, Unhei decides for herself that she will retain her cultural identity by keeping her Korean name given to her by her Korean parents. She can thrive as a Korean American girl who is fully aware of the promise of her future through the connection to her past. 

In the classroom, this book is an excellent tool for teaching cultural significance. In English/ELA, this would serve as a gateway to discussions from all students on who they are and from where their lineage begins. As an educator, I would love to see this book spark an interest in my students to find books that highlight cultures that are relevant not only to Unhei's culture, but to others in the community. By listening to the voices of someone from a perspective different from your own, you truly learn to see the world as a whole. Apart from, or rather, in addition to teaching this book in the English class, this could also be a great book to bring in during Social Studies to show just how hard it must be for someone of a different culture, country, and language to come to America and be forced to confront the dilemma of whether or not to keep the only identity they have ever known. This would initiate conversations that foster empathy, patience, and compassion for immigrant children and adults. 

Gerhards, J., & Hans, S. (2009). From Hasan to Herbert: Name‐Giving Patterns of Immigrant Parents between Acculturation and Ethnic Maintenance. American Journal of Sociology, 114(4), 1102–1128. https://doi.org/10.1086/595944 

(Week 1: SEL Young Adult Book) "The Only Number That Would Ever Be Enough is 0": Battling Perception vs. Reality of Self-Importance and Body Image

 

 

    One of the most heartbreaking experiences of my teaching career came in the form of a student who nearly lost their battle with anorexia. While reading this novel all those feelings of guilt for not seeing what was going on came screaming back. However, this time I was able to see into the mind of someone who was going through it firsthand. In the fictional novel Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson showcases the struggles of an 18 year-old girl named Lia Overbrook as she comes to terms with the death of her childhood friend, Cassie Parrish. As girls in middle school, Cassie and Lia began to obsess over being "thin" and "perfect". They choose different methods for rapidly dropping the pounds to achieve their idea of perfection. Lia chooses to only eat 500 calories a day and cutting herself to release the pain and shadows that threaten to drag her down, Cassie binges and purges. Both girls come from homes that, on the outside, look privileged: successful parents, affluent neighborhoods, great schools. The thing is that life is almost never as it seems when peering behind closed doors. 

    In Lia's world, parents are divorced, dad is remarried, mom is a cardiovascular surgeon who never has much time for anything/one else, and stepmom is focused on molding her daughter into a perfect reflection of herself. Lia is lost, confused, ignored, and angry! Cassie was assaulted as young girl by a boy from a previous neighborhood, thus bringing her and Lia together. Cassie's parents are older and also too busy to pay much attention to their daughter and her emotional needs that she keeps locked up. After returning home from drama camp one year, Cassie now knows all there is to know about how to lose weight and be perfect. She shares this knowledge with Lia and off they go all the way into a car crash brought on by Lia passing out due to her being severely malnourished. After Lia learns of Cassie's death, she finds herself in a slow spiral to her lowest level of mental stability. Lia begins to see Cassie at night, then during the day, during times of stress and anxiety, during times of quiet. Lia has convinced herself that if she can just wait until Cassie's funeral and then Lia will be free. Meanwhile, Lia continues her facade of healing to her mother, father and stepmom after her release from her time in in-patient care for her eating disorder. She even goes as far as sewing quarters into the hem of her bathrobe when she does her weekly weigh-ins for her stepmom. All the while driving closer and closer to get back down to her goal weight of 85lbs. Lia gets in touch with a young handy man, Elijah, that worked at the hotel where Cassie died. Elijah found her body and he has a message for her, "Tell her that I lost. She won and I lost." This is a reference to Lia and Cassie's bet/competition for being the skinniest girl in school.    

    

    All of Lia's demons finally catch up with her after her parents realize that it might be time for an evaluation. Lia snaps and begins cutting herself until she is caught by her younger sister just as Lia passes out. Once she is released by the hospital, Lia is on the fast track back to another stint of in-patient care. She opens up to her therapists and shares her seeing Cassie as well. Shortly after this last session, Lia runs away to the hotel to hide in Elijah's room. Afraid of being caught with yet another dead girl, Elijah takes off leaving Lia alone in the hotel room. She takes her sleeping pills, too many, and has one last conversation with Cassie. Cassie tells Lia that she is dying and that she couldn't be happier to not be alone anymore. Lia finally realizes and confesses that she does not want to be skinny at the expense of her life. She makes it to a payphone and calls an ambulance. Lia wakes up in the hospital. After a 10 day stay, she goes back into in-patient care where is finally ready to heal. 

"I am thawing."

    I would love to teach this novel to my 8th graders. There's so much pressure for both girls and boys to be perfect, and to look a certain way. It's important to show that these kids are not alone in their own struggles. This would also be a great resource for developing student empathy and understand for those who may have never had anyone explain what these conditions are and the toll they can take on a person and their loved ones. A cross curricular option for this book is for English and Health/PE teachers to collaboratively present the idea of eating disorders as a means to reinforce both subject areas. Students can focus on the inner dialogue of the narrator and decide what makes this person unreliable as a narrator. Students show also see how the dialogue/perspective should be to foster a healthier outcome.    

(Week 1: SEL Children's Book) Living a Beautiful, Mismatched Life! How Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match by Monica Brown Celebrates Embracing Individuality

 This week children's book focus is on Monica Brown's Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match. This book is such an insightful look into the life of a biracial girl who has her own sense of fashion and self. Marisol is the daughter of a Peruvian-American mother and a Scottish-American father. From the cover art you can see that Marisol has her mother's caramel complexion and her father's red hair. This alone is enough to set this fiery girl apart from other members of her community and even within her own family, "My cousin Tato...says, 'Marisol, your skin is brown like mine, but your hair is the color of carrots. You don't match!'" An interesting part of this story is the translation of one page's English words is followed and repeated in Spanish. What an amazing way to introduce bilingualism to children! As we read through Marisol's story, we see that along with a mismatched appearance, she LOVES combining things that go against the grain of what is accepted as "normal", e.g. peanut butter and jelly burritos, soccer-playing pirates, polka-dots and stripes, cursive and print.

Yes, this girl definitely dances to the beat of her own drum until of her friends criticizes her one too many times, "Marisol, you couldn't match if you wanted to!" This leads Marisol to come to school the next day determined to match in everything she can: clothes, games, food, art, etc. 

 This leaves Marisol feeling lost as she goes through the motions of trying to be what she thinks her peers want her to be. However, in swoops her teacher, Ms. Apple, takes notice and tries to reassure Marisol that she does not need to change herself in order to be appreciated. As an educator, I often forget just how much impact a simple complement or acknowledgement of a student's individuality could have on that student social and emotional success. After Marisol reads her teacher's note, she quickly goes back to her beautiful, individual, mismatched self. At the end of the book Marisol's parents take her to get the puppy she had been asking for, and she finds a one of a kind, mismatched kindred spirit in a puppy she names "Kitty!"

                            

I would love to use this book in a Kindergarten classroom to teach social empathy towards people whom society categorizes as "different" or "weird" based on their personal choices in dress and actions. Another way this book could be beneficial to a classroom setting would be to use this book as a tool in a science class to teach the power that genetics have on a person's appearance based on culturally diverse lineages. Lastly, this could be used to integrate ELL or LEP students while also engaging native English speaking students in a culturally collaborative whole group setting. 

*Click the attached link to listen to a full reading of this book:

Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match by Monica Brown YouTube Reading