This article really hit home with me as well.  I always thought that I was reserved because that’s how my dad is and/or because I was the youngest child in my large family and no one took what I said as seriously as the comments made by my older brothers.  Now I wonder if it’s because I was taught not to speak up.  Christina says in the article, “In my home, women aren’t supposed to speak unless they’re spoken to.  It’s just the way I’ve been raised.”  I never considered this to be an option since my step-mother is a very outspoken person but it could be.  Why else are my four brothers less reserved than I am?  ’Til this day, I can only recall my father crying on 2 occasions.  Is it because he was taught that it was a sign of weakness to show his emotions, like Jeff in the article?  Whatever the reason, I struggle with speaking up in class.  In my profession, I’ve gotten better at it, but as a student myself, I still remain relatively quiet.  For instance, I think journaling my thoughts in blogs is easier than expressing them in class.  I think this goes back to my upbringing.  I think it’s because it gives me a set of rules to blog whereas in class, there are no set rules.  When I journal, I can go at my own pace, think through what I feel and rethink what I’ve read.  I’m not as good at the spur of the moment responses as I am gathering my thoughts and taking it all in.  So as a teacher, I need to be very careful when “grading” participation.  There are many forms of participation besides speaking.  I think this applies to any student, not just Asian Americans.