Multiculturalism Classroom at a Suburban Chicago Elementary School Article

There are good choices available that provide positive images of people from different backgrounds and cultures. Schools, as a whole, can provide family supports to strengthen ties between various cultures and the education experience.

Though many publications exist to help educators bring diversity to their schools, efforts cannot simply be an afterthought to a system that is slow to change. Numerous studies show that there is a cultural gap between teachers and students. Howard (1999, p. 4, cited in Santoro 2007, p. 82) claims, "Too often we place White teachers in multicultural settings and expect them to behave in ways that are not consistent with their own life experiences, socialization patterns, worldviews." It is a problem faced the world over, and a pertinent one as student populations everywhere become even more diverse. Cultural studies, as Santoro and others point out, must be components of pre-service education for teachers.

Santoro (2007, p. 84) further points out that teachers who are themselves of minority background tend to have a greater knowledge not only of their culture, but of others. Perhaps it is their grounding in "knowledge of self" (Griffin 2003, p. 209, cited in Santoro) that prepares them to appreciate the differences they see around them. All teachers, no matter what their background, need to educate themselves about the students in the population they serve. It is that open-minded appreciation that will guide them to incorporating lessons, activities, and teaching materials that will meet the needs of their culturally diverse students. They will be able to teach "the kids who walk in the door each day," helping them to learn to understand and appreciate their own uniqueness.

References

Jones, Tyi-Sanna. 2005. "Incorporate Diversity into Your Classroom," Intervention in School & Clinic 41(1): 9-12.

Santoro, Nina. 2007. "Outsiders' and 'Others': 'Different' Teachers Teaching in Culturally Diverse Classrooms." Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice 13(1), pp. 81-97.

Sung, Jik Bae, and Gary…