Having grown up in south Nashville, I experienced a wide range of diversity in school. Many of my elementary school classmates were Laotion or of some Asian decent. I can remember them leaving class a couple times a week to go to ESL (English as a Second Language). The ESL teacher was an older Laotion lady and she would get upset when her students would teach their friends some of the words and phrases from their native language. They would always say "make sure Miss 'So and So' doesn't hear you say it in the hallway." I can also remember some of my friends changing their names to more "American" sounding names around 3rd and 4th grade. It was difficult getting accustomed to calling someone a different name from the one you had always referred to them as. Once I entered middle school, I encountered even more cultures and races. There was a very small Hispanic representation, compared to the way it is now in schools I use to attend.
We would have different programs throughout the year where we would learn the customs of the different cultures we had at our school. This was a time when we had the opportunity to see our classmates dressed in their native attire. They would share history, dance, and bring food, in an effort to raise appreciation for their traditions. I believe it worked because children seem to be fascinated by things they do not usually get to experience. Waxler offers a very helpful perspective on teaching multiculturalism in the classroom. He believes that all races can be taught simultaneously while dealing with different eras in history. I also agree that this could be a beneficial technique. Rather than solely focus on one particular race, the children can choose from a number of nationalities, to explore various topics, depending on the time frame being studied.
The "Toward a Centrist Curriculum: Two Kinds of Multiculturalism in Elementary School" article discussed two different types of multiculturalism. One type is referred to as "Cosmopolis" coming from the word Cosmopolitan, which means being a citizen of the world and a member of humanity as a whole. However, ethnic loyalist believe that "each culture has a duty to preserve its own identity against the larger cosmopolis." They fear the thought of losing their individual cultural identity. One argument against them was that teaching culture should not be a priority for a student who is struggling in areas such a math and science. I must agree, as I mentioned in a discussion post for class, academics should come 1st. I feel that more time could placed into teaching other vital subjects. As children develop, they may or may not seek to learn more about their culture, or the cultures around them. It all depends on how important it is to that individual.
References:
Hirsch, E.D. (n.d.). Toward a centrist curriculum: Two kinds of multiculturalism in elementary school. Retrieved from https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=2975445&tId=19133313
Waxler, A. (n.d.). Multiculturalism in school curriculum. Retrieved from https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=2975445&tId=19133312
Friday, October 28, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
Will we ever move on???
It blows my mind that has been nearly 50 years since the civil rights movement and racism is STILL a major issue in the United States
The "Pithissippi Burning" article was an interesting read but nothing to my surprise. The author began by reflecting on a book he had recently read called “The Brigade.” This book is a how-to guide for white separatists. The idea was for them to move to Washington , Oregon Idaho
Moving right along…
Samuel Taylor’s stance on multiculturalism was very apparent in his journal article “The Challenge of ‘Multiculturalism’ in How Americans View the Past and the Future.” He believes that minorities only want to teach their own history and completely ignore the great accomplishments of whites. He even went as far to say, “Just as whites are to step aside to give hiring preferences to minorities, whites are to set aside their own point of view and study those of others.” Regarding slavery, he states that; “Today, it is still the centerpiece of black history, because it excuses failure and can be used to extract benefits from whites.” I was sort of annoyed reading this but we do share one point of view and that is no matter what, everyone will not be happy with the way history is taught in our schools. It seems easy to just write a History book that includes every single nationality, in the capacity that they would like to be represented in.. however, it’s not.
The “Why Multiculturalism is Wrong” article gave a worthwhile view on this topic. The author disagrees with the idea of multiculturalism. One interesting point was that “A multi-cultural society oppresses migrants.” We welcome immigrants to become citizens of our country, then force them to learn “our” history.
Throughout my grade school years I attended schools that were extremely diverse. There was never a clear majority or minority. We were taught traditional American History.. You know, Christopher Columbus started it all, The pilgrims invited the Indians over to eat for Thanksgiving, Martin Luther King was great, and so forth… I would hate to think of myself as being “shallow minded” but I really don’t see a major issue with this. I would rather more time be devoted to Math and Science. As children grow into adults they will dig deeper to learn about their history, if it is important enough to them.
References:
Tobia, P. (2009). Pithissippi Burning: Race, White Nationalism and American Culture. Retrieved on 9-13-11 . Retrieved from: https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=2975445&tId=19133306
Why Multiculturalism is Wrong (n.d.) Retrieved on 9-13-11 . Retrieved from: https://elearn.mtsu.edu/d2l/lms/content/viewer/main_frame.d2l?ou=2975445&tId=19133307
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