and we are BACK

So it's been awhile since we've made a post. A lot has happened, school related. But now that we are wrapping up the winter quarter (I am now currently in the Library working on a research paper that I started on Sunday, but was given half the quarter to work on. It was due at 2:00 PM but my professor gave me an extension... yet I still find some way to do something other than work on this damn paper......so much for second chances) anyway now that we are wrapping up the winter quarter, you will be seeing more blog posts. :) Etheline is going to Mexico, so hopefuly she will be able to reccount some of her experiences on here.

Anyway, I was inspired to post after reading the most recent posting from Angry Asian Man.

Lori Phanachone, a Laotian high school senior at Storm Lake high school, born and raised in the states, has a 3.9 GPA, ranks seven in her class of 119 and has been offered numerous college scholarships has been asked to take a language tests for all ELL/ESL (English Language Learner or English Second Language) Students simply because on her school registration she indicated that English was not her first language. She has never been in an ELL or ESL course.

English is not my first language either, mandarin was. But while growing up in American (white) public schools, I just lost interest in maintaining my mandarin and now I can only speak broken mandarin. So broken to the point an older chinese women told me that my chinese was bad. anyway...

As angryasianman points out, engligh not being the first language spoken in the household is common for second generation asian americans.

But I found this story to be incredibly inspiring to hear about a young asian american girl who knows her rights and is speaking out for them.

Go Lori!!

To Support Lori:

Paul Tedesco, Storm Lake School District Superintendent: http://www.apaforprogress.org/ptedesco@slcsd.org
Teresa Coenen, Storm Lake High School Principal: http://www.apaforprogress.org/tcoenen@slcsd.org