Our society has been progressively incorporating multiculturalism for the past century especially after the civil rights movement. It is so important to include multiculturalism in the classroom and incorporating diverse literature is key. I find myself completely drawn to multiculturalism ideals and I have stay rather focused on this topic. In one of my education classes my Professor had to pull me aside and ask me to start writing and presenting on another topic beside multiculturalism. I found this funny because I see it as such a powerful classroom tool but I do realize we must incorporate other topics. In "Reading Multiculturally" Daniel Hade states "Multiculturalism means searching for ways to affirm and celebrate difference, while also seeking ways to cooperate and collaborate across different groups of people" (240). That statement inspires me to include diverse literature in the classroom for its ability to help unite people. Multiculturalism celebrates our differences while we gain respect and understanding of other cultures. I feel it is my duty as a future teacher to present multiculturalism and diversity in my class. After college, I do not plan on teacher in a rural area rather I am going to work in Philadelphia helping underprivileged teens in the classroom. In this environment diverse book are extremely important because the city is home to so many cultures. Therefore books like To Kill a Mockingbird and House on Mango Street would be essential to read in the classroom. I also would try to incorporate A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines because its message is timeless. Everyone needs to be respected as human beings whether they have made criminal mistakes or walk freely.
I believe most teachers enter the field to make a change or spark inspiration in their students. Well I want to spark my students to respect all races and ethnicities and realize the importance of all cultures. If we want this world to become a better place then we must challenge our students to accept all humanity. How do we challenge our students to accept everyone? We do so by asking them to apply critical analysis to diverse literature. Books will give them the opportunity to walk a mile in someone's different shoes and through reading they will begin to embrace the idea of multiculturalism. I really hope everyone agrees that diversity must be a prevalent topic in the English classroom.
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| Instill multiculturalism in the classroom to help unify our global society. |
As always, I appreciate your comments. I think of multiculturalism as a stance, a perspective, a focus which ensures we consider possible underlying assumptions in text, film, and other mediums. I consider it less as a track/study but as celebration of diversity, a recognition and practice that fully realizes the combined power of differences.
ReplyDeleteJust wondering if you ever considered teaching abroad? I am so thankful I had the opportunity to do this. You should consider it.
I would love to teach abroad.. I just don't know how to go about it.
ReplyDeleteWhat do you do when you are unable to convince one student that multiculturalism is important? What if this one student is so set in his/her ways and have grown up with, let's say racism being prevalent in their home and they seem unable to get past this racism that they have been around for years? How do we present (and when/ how is it appropriate to present) this material and its components?
ReplyDelete"It is so important to include multiculturalism in the classroom and incorporating diverse literature is key."
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with what you had to say right there. Multiculturalism is so essential to a classroom. It is what builds a class to make it one.
I think once we all begin to understand each others differences and then respect them, the classroom will not be such a conflicting place for students. This topic reminds me of our seminar class, and how one society can change the view of another for everybody.
ReplyDeleteWith your strong views of respecting each others differences I really believe you'll instill these beliefs to your students through your teaching. This is good :) You are absolutely right when you say that books will allow these students to walk in anothers shoes really is the best way to put it because if you choice the right books with the right morals, students will be moved by the story. Allowing students to best understand multiculturalism.
ReplyDelete"Well I want to spark my students to respect all races and ethnicities and realize the importance of all cultures."
ReplyDeleteThis is a great goal! I agree that multiculturalism is not as emphasized in a classroom as it should be. I'm interested in how you might spark this idea into your students tho... :)