Immigrant parents can be challenged to balance their native cultural traditions while assimilating, especially when guiding their American-born children’s education. Parents may need to learn the American perspectives of teachers as well as be aware of filtering their children’s experiences through their own cultural context.
If parents are not fluent in English, effective collaboration with their children’s teachers can be hindered. Parents may not have accurate information about their children’s academic progress, unable to advocate for their students’ needs. Sometimes, parents may rely on their children as translators, shifting the traditional parent-as-authority role and potentially creating friction in the parent-child relationship.
Additionally, immigrant parents may need help understanding American cultural expectations of parents when supporting their children’s education. While in some cultures community is prioritized over the individual, American born students may be encouraged to succeed individually, leading to misunderstandings and difficulties in aligning educational expectations.
Furthermore, immigrant parents may need help navigating the American educational system, which may differ in academic expectations than their home country. One American born student shared that his immigrant parents required him to study for annual elementary standardized assessments, misunderstanding schools were evaluated with test results, not the student.
Immigrant parents and their American-born children may experience a cultural gap, creating potential misunderstandings. Children may find themselves wedged between their parents’ cultural expectations and the pressures of assimilation among their peers. Immigrant parents, on the other hand, may struggle to fully understand and address their children challenges due to the duality of their cultural identity.
By seeking guidance from educational consultants and other immigrant parents, plus open dialogue with their children, immigrant parents can help their children preserve their cultural heritage and integrate into American society. As parents embrace the search for cultural fusion, they enrich their and their children’s lives, as well as a sense of belonging in their chosen country.
To learn more how educational experts at Creative Marbles Consultancy, a full service educational advisory, help immigrant families resolve complex college admissions concerns, contact us.
