This blog is the second in a three-article series on the importance of adopting a culturally responsive approach in Lutheran schools. As communities become more diverse, Lutheran schools will want to become more diverse as well. Crossing cultural lines with the gospel can be difficult, as the early church quickly learned (Acts 15). The series is written by Professor Tingting Schwartz, who has personally experienced and intellectually examined these challenges, providing valuable insights to anyone wishing to minister to new people groups.

1. What’s in Your Student’s Lunch Box? Focusing on intercultural competence for educators.
2. What Language Do the Parents of Your Student Speak? Discussing anti-bias education for young children.
3. What Books Are on Your Classroom Bookshelf? Underscoring the importance of the Racial/Cultural Identity Development (R/CID) model for racially, ethnically, culturally (REC) diverse students.

What Language Do the Parents of Your Student Speak?

Written by Professor Tingting Schwartz

What Do We See?
It was a bright sunny afternoon when I picked up my son Elijah from his preschool room. I first talked with Elijah in Chinese and then a student teacher in English. A young girl from the other preschool room overheard our conversations, so she turned to her teacher and asked: “Why does she [referring to me] talk differently?” That young teacher was not prepared for such a question. She froze, and her face flushed. This curious young girl repeated her question: “Why does she talk differently?” Such a great question, yet the teacher seemed to be embarrassed by this question. What did this young girl mean by saying, “talk differently”? Was she curious what language I was using with Elijah? Did she detect my foreign accent when I spoke to the teacher? Why did the teacher not know how to answer this question? What social meaning did she attach to this word “different” when hearing it?

There was still no response as I was about to leave. I thought this was a great teachable moment, and I should not miss it. Hence, I went back and lowered myself to that young girl’s eye level: “You asked a great question! I bet you heard a difference between my English and yours! I grew up in China, so Chinese is my mother tongue. I learned English, your mother tongue, when I was an adult, so English isn’t my first language. This is why I only speak Chinese with Elijah. This is also why my English sounds a little different from yours.”

Did I know how to respond appropriately to this kind of situation years ago? No. I learned my lesson by encountering similar experiences in my daily life and reflecting on them.

Let me tell you another similar story.

Elijah and I went to our local library one day. He was only 18 months old at that time. When I was talking with him in Chinese, a little boy (maybe 4 or 5 years old) overheard us. He asked me, “What language are you speaking? Is it Japanese?” I was surprised and so happy that he asked. I even thought, “Wow, he not only noticed the language difference, but also guessed that this could be an Asian language!” I answered that I was using Chinese with my son and asked, “What language do you speak?” Then he answered: “I speak normal.”

How did I respond to his answer? I don’t remember because my mind went blank. My only thought was, “If he thinks English is normal, would he think my son’s Chinese is abnormal?” I failed to say anything. However, that incident led me to more personal reflections and more community involvement with cultural diversity. Later that year, I started a Chinese Storytime in our local library.

In my Introduction to Minority Cultures class, I share with my students this type of immigrant experience through literature by using the children’s book A Different Pond. Through a young Vietnamese boy’s eyes, author Bao Phi offers us a glimpse of a first-generation immigrant’s life in this country, and one of the life experiences is about language. “A kid at my school said my dad’s English sounds like a thick, dirty river. But to me, his English sounds like gentle rain.” What a pair of powerful, contrasting images describing a father’s Vietnamese-accented English! A thick, dirty river is contaminated, lifeless, and smelly, whereas gentle rain is pure, nourishing to the planet, and full of the fragrance of spring. People dislike thick, dirty rivers but welcome gentle rain. Although both are water in nature, the juxtaposition of “thick, dirty river” and “gentle rain” is jarring and strips many people’s explicit or implicit attitude toward immigrants.

What language do the parents of your student speak? Do they speak English with a “foreign” accent? What do your native-born American students think about this language difference? Borrowing from the term “the lunch box moment” discussed in the previous article, I call it “the language difference moment.”

How Do We Understand the Language Difference Moment?
In Genesis 1:27, we learn that God created mankind in his own image. However, how did we end up so different in terms of language and culture? Through the account of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11), we know that God created linguistic diversity, which increased cultural diversity. Even though our sin led to our division in language and culture, the creation of language and culture does not give one culture more access to God and another less; we can experience God through any language or culture (Lane, 2002, p.138). Instead, God teaches us to treat foreigners with respect and dignity (Leviticus 19:33-34, Deuteronomy 10:19).

We see a progressive line in these language difference moments. The first young girl asked a simple, genuine question: “Why does she speak differently?” The other boy claimed that speaking English was “speaking normal.” The last child from the book A Different Pond mocked immigrants’ English accents by comparing them to “a thick, dirty river.” What accounts for this dramatic switch from a simple question to a hurtful statement?

To answer this question, I will address socialized bias from the child development perspective.

Although infants are “capable of discerning differences among the phonetic units of all languages, including native- and foreign-language sounds,” babies after their first year can only hear phonemes from their parents and caregivers through social interaction (Kuhl, et al., 2003). As a result of this, phonemes from other languages start sounding unfamiliar or foreign to them. Because they do not have the verbal skill to describe this linguistic experience, we adults often assume that they are not capable of telling the language difference. Besides language differences, infants are also aware of gender and racial differences. The brains of 3-month-old babies react more strongly to faces of their own race than faces of people unlike them (Eberhardt, 2020, p.14).

Children start identifying and categorizing how people are alike and different in terms of physical features between the ages of 2 and 3. Parents and caregivers observe this child development in toddlerhood because children start talking about gender, complexion, eye color, and hair texture by applying color names, body parts, and adjectives they have learned. I vividly remember when my 3-year-old son told me in Chinese for the first time that he has “black hair and white skin,” Mom has “black hair and non-white skin,” and Dad has “brown hair and white skin.” I never used the color “yellow” in Chinese to describe my skin color with my children. Hence, they are not making the association between “Chinese” and “yellow.”

Around the ages of 5 and 6, children observe and categorize concrete differences in food, language, and other cultural elements to describe their understanding of an abstract concept—racial, ethnic, and cultural identity. According to Dr. Phyllis A. Katz, a social-developmental psychologist whose research focuses on how children develop concepts and attitudes about race and gender, younger children during this stage start developing gender and race constancy, or begin to understand that their gender and race classifications are permanent even when they grow up (Katz, 1981, p. 3). My son Elijah, a preschooler, has started commenting that he is the only child who speaks both Chinese and English. He also gets excited when he meets other Chinese and English bilinguals of his age when we visit friends in the Twin Cities. Young children are curious about their own and others’ physical and cultural characteristics. This is why that young girl from my son’s school asked her teacher why I talked differently. I appreciate that she used the neutral word “different” to describe her observation of my accent, instead of using evaluative comments with negative connotations, such as “weird” or “funny.”

In their book Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves, Louise Derman-Sparks and Julie Olsen Edwards (2010) highlighted characteristics of children’s identity development: Children learn about their own and others’ social identities through overt and covert messages (p.13). My son had commented in English that he is American. However, he also had said that “我是中国人(Lit. I am a Chinese person)” in Chinese. Since then, we have been intentionally sharing the message that he is both American and Chinese; but most importantly, he is a child of God. I wonder what that little girl learned from her teacher’s flush and silence? Did she understand my explanation of English being my non-native language? I often think about how that little boy in the library might have internalized my wordless response—would he think that I agreed with him that he speaks “normal”?

Derman-Sparks and Edwards (2010) also shared that children begin to construct their own versions of who belongs in their country (p.15). This is consistent with Katz’s research: young children consolidate group concepts of “us” and “them” after learning to label group members and recognize the irrevocability of gender and race. Being an Asian woman with a foreign accent in this country, I am often asked by many friendly, well-meaning people: “Where are you from?” Some people seem to enjoy making a guess: “Are you Korean/Japanese/Filipino/Chinese?” The most recent yet hurtful experience I had was being asked by a middle-aged white man in a local grocery store without any context: “Excuse me, miss, can you connect me to any international dating website?” The reality is that I am constantly reminded I am a foreigner/outsider even though I have been calling Minnesota home for almost 10 years. How would my children interpret this message if I didn’t explain this to them? Would they put me in the circle of “us” because I am their mother? Or would they put me in the circle of “them” because I am an immigrant?

Young children develop pre-prejudice as they absorb negative attitudes, misinformation, and stereotypes about various aspects of human diversity due to their limited and inconsistent thought processes. Pre-prejudice consists of young children’s beginning ideas and feelings that could lead to prejudice if not addressed. In addition, children begin to be aware of the power dynamics linked to social identities (Derman-Sparks & Edwards, 2010, pp.14 & 16). They absorb societal messages about different racial, ethnic, cultural groups when processing their self and group identities; they begin to show evidence of internalized superiority or internalized oppression. Children may tease or refuse to play with others because of language and cultural differences, skin color, or physical disability. Children of immigrant families may reject home languages and insist on only speaking English. When we attach negative social meanings to immigrants and their foreign accents, we plant seeds of pre-prejudice in children’s hearts that could grow into prejudice (thoughts and feelings) and discrimination (actions) if the soil of silence or reinforcement is provided.

What Can We Do as Educators?

On Serving Immigrant Families
When explicit or implicit biases mask our thinking and hinder our acceptance of people who are racially, ethnically, and culturally different from us, we need to go back to God’s Word, which allows us to see our prejudice and discriminatory behaviors in the mirror of God’s Word. Being Christ’s follower gives us the privilege of recognizing our daily sin, repenting to Jesus, and finding peace in his forgiveness and redemption. This gospel motivates us to imitate our role model and Savior Jesus for cross-cultural ministries. Here are a few examples:

• Matthew 8:5-13 The faith of the centurion
• Matthew 15:21-28 The faith of the Canaanite woman
• Luke 10:29-37 The parable of the good Samaritan
• John 4:1-26 Jesus talks with a Samaritan woman

From Jesus’ ministry, we see Jesus 1) recognizing people’s cultural perceptions and beliefs; 2) overcoming cultural barriers to reach people; and 3) treating people with respect and dignity. It is our privilege, an unearned advantage gained because of God’s grace to us in Jesus Christ, to serve people of other cultures. In doing so, we demonstrate our love for Jesus and his love for people of all cultures. In his book Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility, Duane Elmer (2006) reminded us:

Every contact I have with another person becomes either a sacred or profane moment depending on how I see it and handle it. To accept and affirm the dignity of the other will nurture the image of God in them. To devalue that person or fail to show respect will contribute to a further distortion of the image of God in them. (p.66)

Serving immigrant families will significantly benefit students (and teachers) who previously had little experience of other cultures by increasing their cultural awareness in a diverse cultural context. Cross-cultural scholar Edward T. Hall (1998) remarked: “the ultimate purpose of the study of culture is not so much the understanding of foreign cultures as much as the light that study sheds on our own” (p.59).

Peter’s interaction with Cornelius, one of the first Gentiles converted to Christianity, is an excellent illustration of cultural self-awareness (Acts 10). God’s command to Peter to consume unclean meat (Acts 12-16), a cultural practice that only Gentiles would do, became a culture shock for Peter. However, this cross-cultural experience shed light on Peter’s cultural identity. He then understood that his Jewish customs were abolished by Christ, and that salvation was also for Gentiles. God’s vision as a cross-cultural experience prepared Peter to stay and eat with a Gentile, another cross-cultural experience in his real life. His new understanding of the gospel message equipped him to preach to Gentiles. If we are bound only to our own food, practices, and cultural values, how can we reach out to all nations and share the gospel with people of other cultures? Acts 10, a pivotal event in the Great Commission, is a beautiful story of two cultures actively engaging with each other to build up God’s kingdom.

Below are a few ways that we can serve REC diverse families in Christlike humility:

• Uncover our own implicit bias by taking Implicit Association Tests.
• Be aware of and learn cultural differences between children’s home and school (cultural discontinuity).
• Respect children’s home languages and support bilingualism by perceiving language diversity as an asset rather than as a deficit, displaying prints of students’ primary language in the classroom, providing home language books, and so on.
• Invite family members who speak children’s home languages to your classroom without tokenism.

On Serving Our Young Children
When our goal is to raise a Christ-centered child, we, as Christian educators, must challenge biased attitudes and language in the classroom. Following the suggested guidelines from anti-bias educators such as Louise Derman-Sparks, Julie Olsen Edwards, and Eric Hoffman, the following strategies could be used to address the language difference moment:

Responding to children’s curiosity— “Why does she talk differently?” “What language are you speaking? Is it Japanese?”

• Listen carefully by showing your interest.
• Figure out what the child wants to know. Listen for feelings behind the words, but do not make assumptions about the child.
• Answer the child’s question. If you do not know how to answer the question right away, talk about this with other teachers and parents.
• Follow up with the child or plan a classroom activity.

Responding to pre-prejudice and discriminatory behaviors— “I speak normal.” “(Your) dad’s English sounds like a thick, dirty river.”

• Respond quickly. Our silence could reinforce a child’s bias and stereotype. It could also lead targeted children to conclude it is wrong to be different. Frame the ability to speak multiple languages as a strength and not a deficit. “Isn’t it wonderful that he/she can speak more than one language? I can’t. Can you?”
• Describe our observation instead of scolding the child. Focus on the behavior, not the child. “I heard you saying his dad’s English sounds like a dirty river. How have you come to think that?”
• Explore the feelings and perspectives of every child involved. “It sounds like you are frustrated. I know you didn’t mean that, but how would you feel if someone said that to you?” “It must be hurtful to hear someone commenting on your dad in this way.”
• Communicate the issue with accurate language that children could model. “It is not a Christian, loving way when we make fun of others just because their first language is different from ours.”

To learn more about responding to biases and stereotypes, please visit Goodman’s Responding to Microaggressions and Biases.

Early childhood educators play an essential role in discouraging biases and stereotyping early on. To start an anti-bias early childhood program, I encourage you to seek more information through these two resource books: Anti-Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves by Derman-Sparks and Edwards and Roots and Wings: Affirming Culture and Preventing Bias in Early Childhood by York.

Professor Tinging Schwartz (MLC ’15) serves as professor of history/social science and secondary education and as international coordinator of the Cultural Engagement Center at Martin Luther College-New Ulm MN.

References
Adair, J. (2015). The impact of discrimination on the early schooling experiences of children from immigrant families. Migration Policy Institute. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/FCD-Adair.pdf

Bailey, K. E. (2008). Jesus through Middle Eastern eyes: Cultural studies in the Gospels. IVP Academic.

Derman-Sparks, L. & Edwards, J. (2010). Anti-bias education for young children and ourselves. National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Eberhardt, J. (2020). Biased: Uncovering the hidden prejudice that shapes what we see, think, and do. Penguin Books.

Elmer, D. (2006). Cross-cultural servanthood: Serving the world in Christlike humility. IVP Books.

Hall, E. T. (1998). The power of hidden differences. In Milton Bennett (Ed.). Basic concepts of intercultural communication (pp. 53-67). Nicholas Brealey Publishing.

Kuhl, P., Tsao, F., & Liu, H. (2003). Foreign-language experience in infancy: Effects of short-term exposure and social interaction on phonetic learning. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 100 (15), 9096-9101. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1532872100

Katz, P. A. (1981). Development of children’s racial awareness and intergroup attitudes. ERIC Clearinghouse on Elementary and Early Childhood Education. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED207675.pdf

Lane, P. (2002). A beginner’s guide to crossing cultures: Making friends in a multicultural world. InterVarsity Press.

Nieto, S. (2002). Language, culture, and teaching: Critical perspectives for a new century. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.

York, S. (2016). Roots and wings: Affirming culture and preventing bias in early childhood. Redleaf Press.