I've not been following the discussion about the issue of China and
librarians, but Edi Campbell's post on the subject caught my attention. Her
advice on how to best help students from Taiwan in the our libraries seemed
very practical and useful to me. I don't know if I am wandering far from the
original post, but there's a spin-off discussion I would like to see:
My school has many students whose parents come from various countries in the
Mid-East and from India and Pakistan. Other than thinking that they are very
driven to succeed I've never given much thought to how their cultural
influences from home might affect the approach I need to take in the
library. If any of you have special insights into students with these
cultural backgrounds can you share what you have learned about assisting
them with research? (I know that one mistake I make is assuming that every
student in these ethnic groups has a parent who is a doctor. It's true for
many in our school district, but by no means for all.)
Also, (and I apologize for being VERY politically incorrect here) we have a
community of students who live in the local "projects". They are both black
and white, and I have a lot of trouble understanding the blessings and
hardships that come with their home life. I lost a student there three years
ago. She had enormous academic potential, taking advanced courses like
Japanese, and I had assumed she would go on to a bright future, college
education, etc. Instead she was stabbed to death during an argument in front
of the apartment where she grew up. In contrast, we have a young couple with
a child who live in approximately the same neighborhood. When a house fire
destroyed the mom's parents' home the 14 year old mom went back into the
building to rescue the baby. The baby is fine, but the mom will have
terrible scars on her face and arms for the rest of her life. But she is
resilient and happy, and she and her boyfriend continue to have a strong and
committed relationship. Also, we have a sub-group of black students who are
deeply involved in their church communities.
I strongly believe that every student is an individual, but I also know it
can help to better understand their cultural backgrounds. It would be great
if there could be some posts on insights into various groups that we need to
serve in our schools. And obviously I am writing from the perspective of a
small town white girl, but I hope that some of you who have a more diverse
background than I do might address the idea of serving students with a
similar background to mine, but who are accustomed to a multi-ethnic mix of
students in their school.
I hope that I haven't offended too many people with this post. Please bear
in mind that my point of view is limited by my life experiences and I am
just hoping to expand that point of view by asking for this discussion. (On
the other hand, letting me know that you are offended, and why, will
probably also help me to grow, so feel free!)
Thanks!
Deb Waugh
Librarian/Instructional Technologist
The Emmett G. Shufflebarger Library
at Graham High School
Bluefield, Virginia
debwaugh.lm_net@frontiernet.net
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