7/7 Class Reflection

Last week during our discussion about the implications of teaching immigrant students Mohamed made a great point and said "immigrant parents are your best allies." From personal experience I have to say that I agree with this statement. There are 2 parents that I can think of off the top of my head who really push their children to succeed and believe that their children are being given an amazing opportunity, one that they need to embrace. One of these children has embraced the opportunity and is a very good student, while the other just does not seem to care. I have talked with this mother and she is very thankful for the opportunity her son has been given but is extremely frustrated that he does not feel the same way and is throwing away the opportunity by not caring about school and not doing his work. In the end I think it comes down to the individual student and whether or not they want to do that is being asked of them. A parent can push a child to do something but that does not necessarily mean they will respond and do it. These students might need a different motivation than their parent's approval. The one question that came to my mind during this discussion was is there a point where an immigrant parent, although he/she may be one of your allies, pushes too much? Where does this pushing turn from motivation to a cause for rebellion? Can kids suffer because their parent is pushing to hard? I think it's amazing to have parents on your side and to know that parents are thankful for the opportunities you are giving their child, but does their motivation for wanting their child to do well infringe on the child and in turn affect his/her motivation?