#109, Misread
I grew up in a suburb of New York, in a neighborhood that was racially homogeneous. In elementary school, nearly all of my friends and teachers were caucasian. I grew up in this environment, was shaped by it, so the context was not out of the ordinary for me.
As one of the few Asian students, however, I was misread. Others would attribute stereotypes to me, which often meant, I was good at math, spoke "Asian", was well versed in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean culture, gleefully ate strange and exotic foods, and possessed a high degree of skill in martial arts/was a ninja.
You are the only one who truly understands all your idiosyncrasies and the wealth of experiences that have made you who you are. Further, our idea of self is constantly in flux and this often causes us to be misread, or misunderstood, by others such as our friends, parents, and teachers. We have spent half a year together now, but are just beginning to unravel the complexities of each other's inner worlds.
To complete this Journal response, address the following:
Describe one way that you are misunderstood and then, the real you.
Comment on a peer's response.
-Brenden Lee Teacher