Multicultural Education

Introduction

Mutlicultural education is a very important thing to implement in today's society. The world is getting smaller and smaller every day due to the internet, commerce, and immigration. The
United States is one of the countries that is most exposed to immigrants and is therefore multicultural; this is reflected in urban, suburban, and even some rural areas. I have been in some Metro Nashville schools, which are the most diverse I have seen. In those schools, whites are the minority. Hispanics and Blacks combine to compose an overwhelming majority. In the suburban areas, such as Rutherford County, Whites are the majority; however, larger numbers of Asians reside in the suburbs. At some schools, they account for over 5% of the student population. Hispanics and Blacks compose a large majority. In Bedford County, which is rural, one would not expect to find many Hispanics; however, this is not the case. Bedford County has one of the largest percentages of Hispanics in the state of Tennessee. The Tyson Chicken Plant lured many migrant workers to the area. The diversity found throughout the state of Tennessee as well as most states makes a strong case for multicultural education.

My Definition of Multicultural Education

I define multicultural education as being a K-12 education that values and respects all cultures. In multicultural education, students from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses have the opportunity to succeed. All students would feel welcome and respected in a multicultural atmosphere. From a young age, students would be exposed to foreign languages, literature, and cultures. Teachers, administrators, parents, and students would all have to work together to provide such an atmosphere. An ideal atmosphere for a student from another country and ethnicity to enter would be one where cordial smiles replace strange looks; an open, helping hand replaces a closed fist; the transition is gradual instead of a drastic, overwhelming culture shock; school traditions include an occasional Cultural Heritage Day; and students of all ethnicities and backgrounds excel. Some schools and school systems have probably made great strides in achieving a more multicultural education, while others may lag very far behind. I believe that a multicultural education and school environment makes a student feel more included, valued, and greatly increases the chance for success.

Initially, even after reading the material provided in the links, I struggled to define multicultural education. I believe that there are many different possibilities when it comes to multicultural education. Upon reflection, I thought about what an ideal education would be. It would have to start out at a young age, when young minds are most impressionable, in order to shape them and help them grow. I thought about what occurs in other countries, and realized how some school districts here lag behind severely. In Europe, many residents are bilingual or multilingual. Second languages are typically taught there in the elementary grades. That is one change that I would make. Students would have to take a foreign language in elementary school. Another change that I would implement is a more focused physical education in the elementary grades. We must combat the growing problem of obesity here in the United States. Perhaps instead of going to the playground so much, students could receive training in Tae Kwon Do. This would teach discipline, self defense, and get kids into shape. It would also expand multicultural education by bringing martial arts from Korea here to the United States. Also, in social studies, I believe that it is very important that students know all about the United States; I believe that it is also important that they learn about different cultures. Apart from learning about the cultures, tolerance and respect towards those cultures should be taught to students. I believe that if we were to implement multicultural education here in the United States from a young age, we would not see as much xenophobia here. The xenophobia, or fear of cultures, has come out in immigration debates and even the health care debate. I, as a white person, have seen and heard this xenophobia when talking to some other white people. They say derogatory things about Hispanics, Asians, and Blacks that I would rather not hear. Of course, the fault does not rest entirely with racist whites; there are racists of all races. There is even minority/ minority racism (for example, some Hispanics are racist towards Blacks and vice versa). The United States can do better than that. We are a multicultural nation; therefore we need a better multicultural education. I believe that great strides have been made, but we need to go further.

Challenges to Implementing Multicultural Education

Being a teacher is not easy. Apart from teaching class, grading papers, preparing students for standardized tests, and implementing good classroom management, it is hard to imagine making more work for the teacher; however, it is important that multicultural education be implemented. I believe that the biggest challenge to implementing multicultural education in the classroom is engaging the students in multiculturalism. Some students may be xenophobic. The attitudes that they get come mainly from their parents and their friends. Some of the ignorant people we see yelling in health care debates have children, and they are raising them with their twisted ideologies. Those parents would likely be opposed to multicultural education. I consider that to be the biggest problem. Another problem would be fitting in the multicultural education into an already loaded curriculum. Most teachers cannot cover all of the materials in the textbooks, and adding multicultural education to that would be difficult. As much of a challenge as it may be, it is important to do so. School across the United States must implement it in order for students of all ethnicities and backgrounds to feel welcome, as well as for all students to have a respect, tolerance, and knowledge of other cultures.