Chapter 9: Brazil And Brazilian Students in the U.S.

Juliana, a 5th grader from Brazil, is stressing over her upcoming science project. Her English has been improving; however, this is only her second year in the U.S., and understandably, Juliana still finds most of the science homework very challenging. Her parents recently moved the family to an apartment in the suburbs so that Juliana and her brother could attend their current, “better” school. Juliana soon realized that most of her classmates in her new school were getting assistance from their parents to complete their science projects. She found that baffling. Even if her parents were able to help her, they both worked several jobs and put in long hours to pay the bills and send money to help her grandparents in Brazil. Moreover, Juliana’s parents were unaware that they were expected to help their children with their school homework or collaborate on their science projects. In Brazil, parents are expected to provide their children with a moral education at home; the school in Brazil is responsible for providing students with a formal education. Although Juliana wanted to reach out to her teacher, she did not want her teacher to assume that her parents didn’t care about her education. This situation only aggravated Juliana’s anxiety about her science project.