By Suzie K. Oh

The local Korean-American community has been engaged for some time in a debate over the necessity of the ethnic heritage language schools which teach Korean language and culture. Although this debate has at times grown quite heated, I believe it is a healthy debate because it helps Korean-Americans clarify how they want to balance maintenance of Korean language and culture with acculturation into American culture.

This controversy is not specific to our Korean-American community. The Jewish-American community has long been split as well. Those in favor of Jewish schools have argued for the preservation of language and culture, while those opposed assert that these schools are agents of separation which further fragments different Americans into groups. The idea of such a school is not a new one. For example, German-American schools were predominant in Pennsylvania throughout the 19th century. Chinese- and Japanese-American communities have gone back and forth on this issue. Some generations abolished these schools to promote American acculturation, while other generations have swung the pendulum back to supporting their work at maintaining their languages and cultures.

The Korean-American community will also experience such generational cyclical shifts. These appear to be signs of community division, but they are really signs of healthy grappling with the challenge of balancing and succeeding as Americans while revering the cultural features which compose the essence of what it means to be Korean.

My language is the blood of my soul, wrote one Spanish writer, implying that language serves as much more than a tool for communication. It is a symbol of group identity and shared values and traditions. Korean-Americans must see this debate over Korean heritage language schools as an opportunity to clarify what they want from a cultural preservation institution as distinct from American public and private schools. This debate is an opportunity for us to face issues of individual identity versus group identity, and family unity versus career opportunity.

Although this debate might appear to some as a divisive agent fragmenting our unity, I believe it is a vital function of an immigrant community as it matures within American society. Debates can be constructive, not divisive or contentious. They are needed for healthy growth.

In my opinion, although this issue has been one of the most significant ones faced by Korean-Americans, it has not been the subject of much formal, structured debate. In order to improve this debate, educational research must be cited instead of relying on strong emotions unsupported by sound educational research. If our educational community leaders agree to hold such a constructive collaborative event, the Korean-American community can develop a balanced perspective on ethnic language schools. This balance can prevent generational policy shifts, which undermine the potential for a reasonable, consistent plan for our youngsters to grow up as American grounded in Korean culture.

Suzie K. Oh is the principal of the Third Street School in Los Angeles. She can be reached by email at HYPERLINK mail to:sko1212@aol.com # or by fax at (323)256-1765.