Entry #3 Multiculturalism in Education

Wikipedia defines multiculturalism as "the acceptance of multiple ethnic cultures, for practical reasons and/or for the sake of diversity and applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g. schools, businesses, neighborhoods, cities or nations." In the articles I read, each author had their own ideas about how multiculturalism effects our American society. Samuel Taylor mentioned that by rewriting American history texts, we could get a better feel for other cultures and their identity. In the Pithissippi Burning article, the author mentioned that some white Americans do not want anything to do with any other cultures and have devised ways to avoid them. The Nation Planet article discusses the use of multiculturalism in terms of national culture. To me, multiculturalism means getting to experience ideas, beliefs, values, clothing, food, etc... brought to America from places that I will never be able to visit. It does not mean I give any less significance to my own American culture, just that I get to experience other cultures through the people who came to make America their home.

In Mary Pipher's book The Middle of Everywhere, Pipher, in great, detailed stories, expressed to her readers the enjoyment they could receive from getting to know other cultures. She refers to many refugees who did not want to leave their homeland, but had to due to violence against them and their families. Found in these saddening stories is a hope that the refugees will be assimilated into the American culture without losing the culture of their homeland. Yes, they will need to learn English if they wish to move more easily in society, and they will need to adopt an understanding of American laws, but there is no reason for them to not teach their children about their homeland and keep the culture they brought with them. Schiff states, "If school leaders are not offering the student body the opportunity to interact with the immigrant
students and to experience their culture in an authentic way, then the school itself is missing out
on the richness of immigrant histories" (Schiff, 2009). What better teachable moment do schools need than to utilize the new cultures coming into the schools. The children can teach about their history, celebrations, beliefs, customs, etc... Pipher also mentions that it is therapeutic for the refugees to talk about their homeland. It is a way to keep the traumatized centered. So not only are the children learning, but the immigrants are remembering what was good about their homeland.

I come from a predominately white county with a small minority of African-Americans, Asians, Mexicans, Catholics, Jews, Muslims, etc... I have only ever taught a handful of African-Americans and one Mexican-American. I know very little about their culture except for what they have taught me. The first year I taught Jose, the Mexican-American, I learned that his family moved with the growing seasons, and that he had attended many different schools. I figured he would be just like any other student, but he was not. He was very proud of his Mexican heritage and displayed it when he could, but he was also very American and was proud of his and his families freedoms. In contrast, many of his classmates were hesitant to stand and salute the American flag. They would say they hated coming to school and did not want to do any work. Jose would remind them that in Mexico he would have had to work all day in the fields to help support his family and not even get to go to school and that coming to school was the easy part. Jose taught us about Cinco de Mayo, the Day of the Dead, and about Mexican music and clothing. It was a joy having him in class.

The African-American students, however, did not know much more than what is taught in school about their culture. They have lost any feelings for where their ancestors came from, what they fought for, or even an understanding of what slavery was like. They pretty much approached the history of Africans just like a white student did, with indifference. No one they knew had been to Africa, been a slave, or really had a terrible struggle. Most were living in poverty, but were unwilling to do anything to get out. They were content with their position. (Please do not think I am stereotyping these students. This is how they acted and would tell me their goal was to continue living in the projects and being on Welfare, maybe working at McDonald's like their mother.) They did not see that by hard work they could move out of their situation. I wonder, has poverty become a culture of its own? These students did not see the struggles of escaping slaves and apply it to their lives now. They could not apply what they learned in history class and learn that there is a way out. So if the history books are rewritten, will it make a difference in the lives of today's students?

I would like to think that no one thinks their race is superior to another; however, that is not the case. From the beginning of time, someone has thought they were better than someone else. We do not come from a sharing culture in America. We come from a culture of protect yourself, your belongings, your family, and do not give anything to anyone because they might come back for more. There are of course exceptions to this. But to think your race is superior and others should be wiped out is a whole other way of thinking. I do not think people are born believing that if the Mexican family moves in next door, their life is in danger or some how threatened. People had to learn this behavior somewhere. Either their parents, friends, or teachers had to influence these radicals into believing they needed to move away from everyone and live in isolation. My Christian belief says they need Jesus and humility. Why are people so closed minded and cold-hearted? Maybe our society would be better off for these people to move to the deep woods, but would their way of thinking ever change?

As an educator, I am going to do my best to make everyone that enters my classroom feel welcome and wanted. I will try to include their culture in my lessons and find times to make them feel special about their heritage. I will try to learn about the places they come from and about their culture. I will make it seem important to me, so my other students will see, and maybe, it will have importance to them.

Pipher, Mary.The middle of everywhere. Orlando: Harcourt, Inc., 2002.

Schiff, Margo. (2009). Immigrant students in public schools: To what extent do school leaders recognize, promote, and utilize their cultural diversity? The Journal of Multiculturalism in Education. Retrieved September 26, 2009, from http://www.multiculturaljournal.com/

Multiculturalism. (n.d.) Wikipedia Encyclopedia online. Retrieved September, 26, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiculturalism