Abstract

The traditional high school history classroom presents dominant narratives as facts. This is not a surprise. It was not until after I had become a history teacher, however, that I understood the intentional effort a teacher must put into finding (often creating) and implementing culturally relevant, competent, and responsive curriculum for the classroom. I was born and raised in one of the largest Vietnamese ethnic enclaves in the United States. I grew up hearing stories of war, redemption, and community that did not make its way into my high school US history textbook. This eventually pushed me to become a history teacher, and I currently teach Modern World History for high school sophomores. In my current role, my most rewarding moments come from being able to push students’ thinking beyond the limits of the classroom and connect that thinking to themes that prevailed in the past and continue to this day.

Keywords: Cambodia, Cultural Studies, Sociology, Southeast Asia, United States, World History

How to Cite:

Anh Tran, V., (2015) “"My Cambodia" and "My Cambodian America"”, Education About Asia 20(3).

Rights: https://www.asianstudies.org/publications/eaa/archives/my-cambodia-and-my-cambodian-america/