"Hafu" originated as a Japanese term for half-Japanese persons, though usage has spread to other cases. I chose it because most terms used for mixed-heritage pe

"Hafu" originated as a Japanese term for half-Japanese persons, though usage has spread to other cases. I chose it because most terms used for mixed-heritage people have derogatory connotations but "hafu" leans somewhat positive. When I listen to these students, the core complaint I hear is that they feel there is no social group where they can feel completely accepted. I'm afraid my advice may sound either trite or unrealistic, but it's really the only thing I can think of that could have been done to better their social experience. I have a story to illustrate how social difficulties can come from a direction you don't expect. I have a Korean colleague who went to France for her sabbatical year, taking her grade-school son. When they returned to Korea her son apparently displayed "French" behaviors which led to his classmates ostracizing and bullying him. My colleague resolved the problem by transferring her son to a school in a more affluent neighborhood where the kids did not perceive him as odd.