In this type of cultural transmission, the children to a large extent create culture change. For example, immigrant parents in prefigurative situations, vicariously experience much of American society and culture through their children. The reality that such children present to their parents has been gleaned from the formal school system. These children are frequently the source of many answers to their parents' concerns. They serve as translators at the doctor's office, for example, they write the school absence excuse for their younger siblings. Virtually everything new is filtered through the children who may put aside some of the old beliefs as being obsolete. Frustration grows on both sides. There may even be a sense of superiority on the part of the children. (Ovando, 169)
My Chinese grandparents lived with their children in Houston. My grandparents spoke no English. So, my aunt and uncle had to translate everything for them from English into Chinese. My grandmother adjusted quite well to the US. She tried to learn English; She learned to write English at an elementary school level. She did not mind living the American culture through her children. Towards the end of her life, my grandmother learned enough English to pass the citizenship test and she became a U.S. citizen. My grandfather, however, was another story.
My Chinese grandfather had been a diplomat with the Chinese government. He was used to everybody in the government, and everything in the family obeying him. He was used to the Confucian idea that the absolute head of the household was the man earning the money. Once, my grandfather came to the US, he lost that power. He had to defer to his children for everything. He had to have his children translate for him. In essence, he went from having a position of authority as head of the household to now he was the child of his own children. He only survived 2 years in US. He did not like the idea of the young treating their elders like children. My grandfather was not able to create another cultural identity for himself here in the US.
As teachers, we have to deal with parents in these different stages of acculturation. Some parents are newly arrived parents who expect their children to rigidly obey their social rules. School must be set to a teacher-centered classroom because that's how school was taught in the home country where the parents went to school. Then, you have parents who have been here a while and have gotten used to American culture so that the teacher can have an easier time communicating with these more Americanized parents without language and cultural barriers. In any case, teachers have to be aware of the level of acculturation immigrant parents may be in and adjust their parent-student conference accordingly. Translators may be needed for newly arrived parents. A lot of times, the child serves as the translator. I used to translate from English to Chinese for my grandmother and grandfather when they went to the grocery store and when they went to visit my teacher. More Americanized parents like my mother and father did not need a translator as they were more Americanized.
While the parents may retain part of the culture of the home country, it is usually the Americanized children who become bicultural. I will talk more about bicultural identity or for me what it has been like being Asian American in another blog post.
Ovando, Carlos & Combs, Mary Carol Bilingual and ESL Classrooms 6th Ed.
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