minority among minorities

For the first time in my life, I know what if feels like to be a minority. Among our team of twenty-two post-grad students, I am one of five who is not part of an immigrant family. The other seventeen students came with their parents -- or are children of those who came -- to America from another country.

We spend a lot of time in our classes discussing the obstacles that impede inner-city children's success. We consider that many of their parents don't speak English, work multiple jobs, or are unable to help them with schoolwork. We discuss the overcrowded schools, the unsupportive guidance counselors, the lack of resources that our public education system suffers. And then we turn to those seventeen students and hear them retell their own tales of hardships and inadequacy, fitting in and pleasing parents. These seventeen are the success stories that we hope to breed in our own future classrooms. These seventeen are The Ones Who Know, who've Been Through The System.

I hear between the lines that because I was fortunate enough to be born White in America, I don't know what it means to work hard. It is implied that they will always have one-up on me because they truly understand their student's plight.

The thing is, though, that I was not born with a silver spoon in my hands. Both my parents worked full-time to afford my and my siblings' education. Our closest relative lived in Minnesota, hardly convenient as a supportive role-model. I paid attention in class, and I did my homework, and I pushed to get into challenging classes. I chose to work hard and get all I could out of my schooling.

I am not trying to undermine the seventeen whose childhoods were marked by struggle. I admire them and their family's perseverance and success in producing college graduates. It is miraculous how the American Dream is continuously realized by hopeful immigrants. It is heartening that the Teacher Education Program is comprised mainly of first and second generation Americans. I wish, though, that our class time was not always spent reliving these histories. Every person brings their own valuable experiences to the classroom. A Social Justice curriculum is supposed to make every student feel heard and capable and worthy of a voice. Let's not forget all of our student teachers.