Is it pronounced LEE CHEE or LIE CHEE?

Here is an excerpt from an article called Decolonizing the Classroom by Wayne Au from the book "Rethinking Multicultural Education".

Like many history teachers, Mr. Anderson talked about his trips to places we studied. During our unit on China, I remem- ber him telling us stories about his trip there, including the excit- ing fruit he ate, something he called “lee-chee.” I knew what he was talking about. I loved lychee. Available only about six weeks a year and costing up to $8 a pound, lychees were a rare treat in my family. After my parents divorced, my father would take me to San Francisco’s Chinatown during summer vis- its, where we bought bunches of the syrupy sweet fruit with translucent flesh. Sitting in the park, cracking the lychee’s rough, deep red skin and feeling its juices drip down our chins and fingers, my father told me stories of his childhood in Hawaii, about how he would sneak into the lychee groves to get the precious fruit at the risk of getting shot by farmers guarding their crops.

But in my family, we said it differently. We called it “LIE-chee.” Knowing that the translation between Chinese and English is dif- ficult and imprecise, I raised my hand and tried to tell Mr. Ander- son how my family pronounced it. He wasn’t having it. This white teacher had been to China and knew better. So he told me (and the class) that I was simply wrong, that I didn’t know what I was talk- ing about. Never mind my memories of lychee, never mind my father’s stories, and never mind that my Chinese grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins all pronounced it LIE-chee.

Now that I have been both a high school teacher and a teacher of teachers, when I reflect back on his class, I see that Mr. Ander- son taught us some basic lessons about multicultural education, albeit by negative example. For instance, in Mr. Anderson’s class, student knowledge about communities, cultures, and diversity didn’t matter, especially if it contradicted his own. Further, Mr. Anderson’s contempt for student knowledge revealed no sense of curiosity about the experiences and stories that might lead to a dif- ferent perspective than his. The lesson to learn here is that multi- cultural education should be grounded in the lives of students, not only because such a perspective provides a diversity of viewpoints, but also because it honors students’ identities and experiences.

This story hits home for me. I remember countless times when I pronounced something correctly in Chinese, a fellow classmate would correct me by telling me that the right way to pronounce it is [insert western pronunciation]. There was even a student that had the nerve to tell me that my own last name is called “Lao” when in reality, my grandparents and everyone in my family has taught me that it is called “Low”. I realized that kids nowadays are in some ways being “white-washed”. They are taught to believe certain things westerners believe to be absolute knowledge, but in actuality, there are different perspectives – different “right” ways of thinking. It is ignorant dismiss the countless possibilities of saying a word. My last name, although it is of Chinese origins, can be borrowed and modified and it is still considered “correct” in different contexts. People need to bear in mind other cultures and be aware of the implications of being close-minded. Its all about perspectives!

Outcast, Ordinary, EXTRAordinary!

All I wanted to do growing up was to fit in. To be cool. To have lots of friends and have people like me. This doesn't seem out of the ordinary, does it?

The education system plays a huge role in the development of people, and I feel that it is a place that not only works to educate our youth, but also exposes them to the idea of living within a certain society. This is good, but the environment of the classroom also shapes reproduces many social norms and shapes the minds of our students in a certain way. The current system is too restrictive on the creativity and different ideas and perspectives of each individual. It takes differences and exposes them as flaws, making it hard for students to embrace their individuality and resists the idea of self-love. Often, it makes one feel like a complete outcast.

Unfortunately, I became a victim to all of these societal pressures. I always felt like an outcast. I learned to hate myself for all of the things that made me who I am. I often found myself acting one way around a certain group of people, and a completely different way around another group. I tried to force myself to be a certain way so often that I forgot what it really meant to be myself.

I didn't know this at the time, but I recently found out how harmful this was to my personal development as well as all of my relationships with my peers. What I didn't know was that other people knew I would act differently based on who I was with. They knew how badly I wanted to fit in and change myself, making it seem as if I was a fake. I wish I knew this before. As soon as high school came to a close, I wasn't exposed to as many different groups of people as before. I wasn’t able to “change” myself to please others as often. Besides, people knew that if they were to spend time with me, it would only be with the side of me that craves their acceptance, and this doesn’t benefit anyone.

There was no life-changing event that made me act in this way. Everybody responds differently to the environment that they are placed in. However, I think much of this is due to the way differences are looked down upon in the classroom. Differences, be it as small as eating rice instead of a sandwich at lunch time or listening to R&B when Soulja Boy is taking over the scene, are always put out there and make it hard for people to act in a way that doesn't conform to what is “normal” in their environment. I know that it began in my first day of school, and it continued until I realized how big of an issue it was in the recent past.

I’m happy to say that after plenty of reflection and with the help of the supportive environment I surround myself with, I have learned to love myself. All of the goods, the flaws, and in-between. It’s been beneficial to EVERYTHING! My thoughts, relationships, and even my education have benefited from this small thing that many don’t think about. It makes me think about how differently I would have grown up had I embraced this mindset at a younger age, but it also helped me realize that I can help our youth avoid the struggle of finding themselves and embracing themselves for who they are.

How do we do this? I think the ImPerfect page is a great start! Like previously mentioned, I don’t think many people reflect on this idea often. I mean, when was the last time you acted in a way that is different than how you wanted to, and didn't even ask yourself why? This is a concept that all people should think about, and this includes our teachers, mentors, and parents. Reproducing these concepts and instilling them into our youth will empower us all. Differences will be embraced in the way that they should be, as they make us who we are. People won’t feel the constant pressure to fit in, to be normal, to be ordinary. Besides, why would anybody want to be ordinary when all of us are already extraordinary on our own!

"Normal was cool" - A Short Interview with C

G: Has the social atmosphere of being in school affected you in any way?

C: I think back to a lot of times of how the social atmosphere of educational settings has shaped a lot of my thoughts when I was younger. I remember thinking to myself not to do this, not to do that or I must do this, I must do that because of the social context and pressures. In a way, I was almost reproducing this idea: the idea to be like everyone else and be this normal person, because if you weren't, you were always talked about. I was not supportive of this idea, but I felt pressured to do so "or else."

G: Or else.. what would happen?

C: Or else what? I know that most people would never liked to be talked about for whatever reason. We hate being talked about behind our backs, or gossiped about, or rumored about. I was so scared of this that I kind of lost myself in the process. But is not a part of our lives to find out who we are? I know that sounds really cliche and overused, but we forget to realize that we keep trying to be this normal character in school and felt that we had no authority to overcome that. 

Or else, there's also the fact that we might look back and regret being different and not being normal because apparently "normal was cool." And why stand out differently or be different even if it was you? Why stick out? Well, I wonder why we were so scared of that and how long it took me to realize that.

G: Do you have any personal experiences with this or anything that you think applied to you a lot?

C: Hmm, I don't know if this is applicable or not but maybe it is. I found that a lot of  times I never could dress the way I wanted to. I would go look for clothes, which I do enjoy very much, and would probably put it down even if I liked it because it was "too crazy" for what people wore. I know it does not seem like a big deal to most people, but I know that to me it did and to some other people too. It was all about being the same, you know? I just kept thinking to get the thing that everyone else wanted/had, and then I would be cool. It was a weird paradox. People complimented you on what everybody else has. Luckily, I don't think that anymore.

G: I see. I did not think that clothes would come up.. Why do you not think like that now? Has school changed for you?

C: Well for one thing, I grew up. Haha, yup again cliche but it has made me realize a lot of things. Another thing is that I became a street fashion enthusiast. I became more concerned with what I wanted to wear rather than what people were going to say. I was not going to live in the paradox of where dressing like what everyone else wanted was how to be noticed. I became really involved at looking at clothes that I wanted to wear, and although I did look at trends, I knew that if I was going to wear this at school people might be like "wow, that is really out there." And it was kind of great after getting noticed for wearing what I wanted. I wanted to be that person who could throw something on that could be completely crazy in most people's eyes but have people accept that I could rock it. I mean, fashion to me is art. We tend to forget that some garments talk a lot of design work, a lot of artistic work. And yes, sometimes they may be expensive but people nowadays want to creativity but don't want to pay for it? What kind of deal is that? It's a skill that sometimes goes unnoticed. As for school, I guess once I got to university I didn't think so much about trying to be normal. I was kind of resisting just staying behind the sidelines with what I wore. I wore what I wanted to and hey, people did notice this time. And it felt better because I was just trying to be me. This might not make total sense, but to me it does.

G: No, it does make sense, it is definitely worth talking about. Thank you for talking about this with me today. Do you have any last piece of advice for anyone or any last comments?

C: Not a problem! If I was going to say one thing, it is that don't be so caught up trying to conform to the social pressures. Just do you, people will notice, and it will make all the difference. Recognize that things don't always have to be the same!

Is Meritocracy Just a Reproduction of Privilege?

People in power legitimize their position with the argument that meritocracy dictates a person’s success. Meritocracy is a concept that consists of a few assumptions. Mainly, individual success is governed by and proportionate to a person’s abilities. Secondly, those who hold powerful positions are individuals who are the most intelligent and talented of the bunch. Lastly, it supposes that anyone can attain an elite status if they possess superior abilities and talents.

Due to these assumptions, meritocracy advances the idea that certain people are superior, which in turn legitimizes the conduct and rules of the superior over the perceived “inferior.” This dichotomization of categorizing also occurs in our education system. Schools habitually rank students based on a specified standard; Superior are those who meet or exceed the standard created by educational systems, whereas the “inferior” are those who have deficiencies due to the nature of their upbringing. This group does not meet the standard created by the privileged and are, therefore, unintelligent or inadequate. The voices of the inferior are silenced in favour of others who meet or exceed the standard. This in turn creates a power dynamic that allows the elite population to oppress majority so that they merely just become subjects of power.

The superior then end up attending the nation’s best universities. However, contrary to the claims of meritocracy, students who attend these institutions may not necessarily be more intelligent or talented. Rather, they reaped their socio-economic benefits that come with possessing privilege.

Educational systems, particularly those deemed to be elite schools, play a pivotal role in reproducing new members of the minority ruling class and legitimizing their power over the majority. Upper-class children attend exclusive private schools rather than public schools, and are coddled throughout their lives with expensive prep and individually focused programs such as tutoring. They are groomed to be society’s leaders and are constantly reminded of their destiny to be the greatest people in society. Consequently, they are taught to view the lower class as subjects who follow and rely on them.

On the other hand, high-achieving, low-income non-privileged individuals do not have the luxury to apply to select universities due to geographic and social barriers. They are heavily hindered by the mere virtue of their social status. They may feel a sense that they do not belong in those schools because none of their friends went to those schools, or they have a financial or family burden on their shoulders that prevents them from attending those elite schools.

Moreover, admissions into renowned universities tend to favour the privileged. Preference is given to those who can afford to pay full tuition, students who receive high scores on standardized tests (for which expensive tutoring and heavy prep is essential), or those who have parents who graduated from an elite institution. This promotes the needs of the elite, and discredits the students who had to overcome obvious social and economic disadvantages in order to achieve academic prowess.

Evidently, privilege works in favour of those who were born with it, and against those who were not. Our schools today play a big role in positing this claim. As stated by Anthony Carnevale, the director of Georgetown University Centre on Education and the Workforce, “The education system is an increasingly powerful mechanism for the intergenerational reproduction of privilege.”