Educating New Americans

Educating New Americans examines what it means to be an American through the history of a refugee from Laos. Shou Cha is a community liaison for an elementary school, an evangelical preacher, a community leader, a husband, and a father. His lifetime of learning, presented mainly in his own voice, is framed by various historical and sociological contexts that have shaped his life, the lives of other Hmong refugees, and the lives of other Americans, old and new. These contexts include the history of immigrant education policies in the United States, as seen through the lives of immigrant children; the historical and sociological impact of warfare as well as missionary work in the lives of the Hmong people; and the sociology of generational conflict, especially as it is felt among immigrant groups. Finally, this book suggests that immigrant parents such as Shou Cha can contribute to the process of teaching peace to children, and making peace between diverse groups in America, the land of e pluribus unum.

Contents: A Note on Authorship and Ownership. Preface. Part I: Immigrant Identity in School and Society. Prelude to a Life History: The Shooting. On Being and Becoming American. Visions of America: Narratives of Immigrants, School, and Society. Part II: A Hmong American Life History. A River in the Mountains. The Word. Generations. Making Peace. Part III: Learning From a Life. Resourcefulness, Relationship, Respect: Learning From a Life. From One Life to Many: Rediscovering America Through Autobiography. Epilogue: Research as an Opening. Appendix: Narrative Inquiry and the Life History of a New American.