Lub Neej Thoj Nam Tawg Rog (Life as a Refugee), A Hmong Language Book Series
This project will create a series of Hmong language booklets, photographically illustrated, comprehensively exploring the refugee experience, with narratives written by elementary school language students, based on their interviews with family elders and impressions of the photos, and edited by their teachers and dual language coaches.
2022-2023 Cultural Heritage and Community Identity Grants - Winter 2021
The outcome accomplishments of this project will be concise, material and readily determined.
Four photographically illustrated booklets will be created, with 800 printed and delivered to participating schools, as well as additional schools and libraries serving Hmong communities throughout Minnesota. Confirmation of receipt of all books by all entities will be documented, and readily available, and on our web site.
If the four projects result in participating schools actually using the books in the classroom, it will signify minimal success, as it means the schools felt it was a worthwhile teaching and learning experience, and the resulting books are worthy of being integrated into their curricula.
If more schools wish to participate in future projects it will signify moderate success, as it means schools consider the material produced as a practical teaching resource.
If schools not participating in the projects request to order our completed books for their students it will of course signify wild success.
Most importantly, if we receive letters like this from participating schools, as we did from our pilot booklet project partner school, we will consider our project's outcome to be optimum:
"It's been exciting to see our students engage in authentic writing projects like this one with Minors - where they are examining pictures of Hmong families in the Ban Vinai Refugee camp and are learning about that period of history, which is so personally tied to their own family histories.
It has opened up cross-generational conversations in our students' families, as well interest in learning about who they are. It has also challenged our students to use their knowledge of the Hmong language in real and authentic ways - learning and sharing those stories through published works of writing.
We are so excited to have this book incorporated into our curriculum and added to our libraries and classrooms to be shared with all of our students and the larger community."
May Lee Xiong, Principal
Phalen Lake Hmong Studies Magnet Elementary School
Saint Paul Public Schools
We are almost on schedule with the project, which consists of photo selections and narratives by student writers, editing and proofing by teachers and language coaches, layout by a Minnesota Hmong-owned graphic design studio, and the printing and distribution of 4 books, 200 copies of each, to scores of schools, libraries and organizations serving Hmong communities in Minnesota .
Three of the four books are in the final stages, having been written this fall by students, in Hmong with English translations, and are now being edited by their teachers and language coaches.
The three Minnesota participating Hmong language classes are at Harding and Park Center High Schools, and Community School of Excellence, a Hmong charter school.
We expect to finish design, layout and begin printing of these three books by March.
The fourth book project is to begin this month with one more participating school with printing and distribution in May.; Outcomes:
With the support of MHC funding we were able to create and print a series of photographically illustrated Hmong language books by the end of the 2022-23 School Year.
Participating schools have each received 100 of the books created by their students.
The books are now permanent additions to classrooms and libraries at each participating school.
The remaining books are now at schools, libraries and organizations serving Minnesota Hmong communities.
Work Accomplished:
Working first with public and charter school administrators, we brought together hundreds of students, their teachers and language coaches, as well as cultural experts, of four Hmong language classes at four Minnesota schools, created four unique books, then designed, printed and delivered 800 copies of the four books. These Hmong language books have English translations included, which were also written by the participating students, and edited by their teachers.
One set of the series, including a pilot project book which was also supported by MHC, is being delivered this month to MHC. (Total of five books in the set.)
For convenience, here is a link to flip versions of all five books, which can be paged through and read by clicking on the arrows at bottom of each book, once opened:
http://www.folklorestudio.com/MinorsSchoolBooks/
Our goal was to create four books with four Hmong language classes at four Minnesota schools, and to see them incorporated into the curriculum at each of the participating schools.
This goal was met, and verified by the participating educators, as seen in their remarks in the questions below.
In-Kind Support
We have several Hmong university students and professors voluntarily helping this project, along with the educators mentioned above, and of course the student writers and translators.
. This project benefited greatly from the voluntary out of class time, energy and personal expense of more than a dozen teachers, language coaches and administrators who gladly added this project to their busy schedules because of the tremendous need for Hmong language resources, especially in social studies. If we implement similar projects in the future, we will propose to provide some compensation for the many extra hours required of teachers.
Further, this book series project was generously supported by Minors' volunteers who are Hmong university students in Minnesota, and we were tremendously aided by advice and guidance from the Center for Hmong Studies at Concordia University, Saint Paul.
Dr. Mai See Lor, Chair
Ms Mao Her Thao, Vice-Chair
Ms Npaus Baim Her, Secretary and Financial Officer
Dr. Lee Pao Xiong
Dr. Shoua Yang
Dr. Shayle Miller; Minors' Board of Directors 2023
Chair - Dr. Mai See Lor Saint Cloud, MN maisee_online@yahoo.com
Vice Chair - Ms Mao Her Thao Newport, MN maothao@yahoo.com
Secretary &
Financial Officer - Ms Npaus Baim Her Saint Paul, MN npausbaim.her@gmail.com
Dr. Shoua Yang Saint Cloud, MN syang05_@hotmail.com
Professor Lee Pao Xiong Saint Paul, MN xiong@csp.edu
Dr. Shayle Miller Evanston, IL smiller188@comcast.net