A Personal Tale of Self-Reflection by a Hmong English Teacher Forming a High School Leadership Club to Enhance Hmong Adolescents in Their Search for Personal Identity

ABSTRACT A PERSONAL TALE OF SELF-REFLECTION BY A HMONG ENGLISH TEACHER FORMING A HIGH SCHOOL LEADERSHIP CLUB TO ENHANCE HMONG ADOLESCENTS IN THEIR SEARCH FOR PERSONAL IDENTITY by © Ellen Moua Hamilton 2010 Master of Arts in Education Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Learners Option California State University, Chico Spring 2010 The purpose of this project is to create a handbook by creating a high school leadership club for Hmong students, to enhance their search for personal identity as they relate it to my own personal tale of self-reflection. In order to create my own personal tale and a leadership club to enhance Hmong adolescents, a background knowledge base had to be established in the review of literature. This background knowledge base consisted of adolescent identity, Hmong adolescents, Hmong culture, after-school programs and clubs, and leadership with a focus on self-reflection. Each section in x Chapter II of this project amplifies the need for understanding oneself through family involvement, relationships, cultural loss, language loss, etc, for the search of personal identity. Through the background knowledge base established in the review of literature, the creation of my self-reflection was able to take form. The reflection is about growing up in two worlds; the Hmong world and the American world. The book is the self-reflection of my search for personal identity and is used to help enhance Hmong adolescents in understanding their search for personal identity. The book is titled, Washed Away Story of a First Generation Hmong Woman in America, and is recommended by the author to use in secondary levels to understand what it is to be Hmong living in two worlds, revolving around the themes of language loss, biculturalism, acculturation, assimilation, and simply finding out who we truly are.