Becoming Something Different: Learning from Esme

      

The reading Becoming Something Different: Learning from Esme by Fairbanks, Crooks and Ariail tells a story of three professors who studied Esme, a Mexican girl living in the United States, from grades six to eleven. They studied how she assimilated into American culture, through school, friends and family life. I found this particular article very interesting because it brought up many ideas that we have discussed in class. In the beginning of the article it touches on the fact that “these researchers argue that perceptions of Latina/o students as lacking English proficiency, adequate motivation, and parental support, combined with the school’s devaluing of cultural practices different from the mainstream, too often position Latina/o students as deficient (Gonzalez, 2001)”. Throughout this whole reading, all I could think about was the Kozol and Rodriguez readings that we did earlier in the semester. In one of Esme’s interviews it stated that “Esme positioned Spanish-language dominance and her family’s traditional ways as obstacles to be overcome in school in order to fit into the social life at school.” For example, she knew English, but found that she was not completely proficient putting her at a disadvantage in the classroom, she was also not allowed to go to the mall after school with her friends without supervision, she was not allowed to date boys and at times she was requited to come home right after school to take care of her younger brothers and sisters, instead of joining an after school clubs or activities. This reminds me of the article An Indian Father’s Plea, when Wind-Wolf was embarrassed to his long hair and did not want to be a part of the Indian traditions any longer. The pressure to fit in at school can be a lot for someone to handle. Middle and high school can be difficult enough as it is, standing out can make things even more complicated. Esme said that “she identified herself as an American of Mexican heritage rather than a Mexican girl living in the United States, as her parents saw her”. Esme viewed herself as American because she grew up here most of her life, this is where all her friends are and the thought of going back to Mexico scared her because in her mind she viewed it as a scary place.