Comfortable For Children Of Diverse Ethnic Backgrounds example essay topic

In present day America, there is not only one culture, but many different people of various backgrounds. The diversity is even more so today than twenty years ago. In order for people to get along, they must understand and accept the differences among each other. They must also have respect.

That is why it is important for educators to impose cultural acceptance to their students so that they will be able to live together peacefully in the world. There are many different definitions of the word diversity and multiculturalism. Among the many researched, I found one to be most clear. Diversity is the understanding that each individual is unique, and recognizing our individual differences. These can be along the dimensions of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, physical abilities, religious beliefs, political beliefs, or other ideologies. It is the exploration of these differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment.

Multiculturalism is, relating to diversity, a social or educational theory that encourages interest in many cultures within a society rather than in only one mainstream culture. Multicultural education did not just come about recently, but has been an ongoing issue for many years. There was massive immigration between 1880 and 1920 from eastern and southern Europe. Many of the people already in America feared these new groups of people who were very different than them. This is when Assimilation came about. Assimilation is the suppressing of the immigrant culture and the imposing of the dominant culture.

The Anglo-Saxon Protestants looked down upon the immigrants who continued to speak in their native tongue and who practiced the traditions of the old country. These immigrants did not receive any recognition unless they learned to speak English and adapted to the dominant culture. The imposition of the dominant culture was imposed in many classrooms, and teachers were trained to suppress the cultural identities of the children. Contrary to Assimilation, Cultural pluralism came about in the 1900's". It is a belief that different ethnic groups should retain their heritage and culture while becoming a part of the mainstream culture". (Rasool and Curtis: 2000).

People were starting to realize that it might be more beneficial to allow these diversities to be accepted. Horace Kallen, a philosopher, said, "the preservation of the culture and communal life of the different ethnic groups in American society would enrich the common culture and help extend and strengthen democracy. This is the way of thinking for teachers in the present day. Teachers are now being trained to be an educator to diverse classrooms and to stress cultural acceptance. Other foundations in history that supported multicultural education were the Service Bureau for International Education, which was established in 1933.

The Service Bureau focused on teaching tolerance of other ethnic groups as a means of facilitating their assimilation and developed curriculum to overcome racism and discrimination. There was not much interest in this teaching, but it did help pave the way of reducing prejudice in the present-day. There was also John Dewey's philosophy, which put emphasis on restructuring schools, developing students' critical-thinking skills, and of fostering democracy. (Rasool and Curtis: 2000) In 1861, Mary Peake established one of the first schools for Blacks in Fortress Monroe, Virginia. "In addition, German Americans fought for the acceptance of their language, and by the late 1880's eight states allowed for bilingual instruction in public schools". The 1960's Civil Rights movement also had a big impact.

As a result, different ethnic groups, and also women had a voice in contributing to the curriculum in education. In the beginning, the issue of multicultural education was only concerned with ethnic and racial groups, but it eventually expanded. In the 1970's and 1980's, it also included gender, class, language, ability, religion, and sexual orientation. In order to run a diverse classroom successfully, teachers not only need to be aware of the history of multicultural education, but also the backgrounds of these different ethnic groups. For example, a teacher should make sure that they know how to pronounce the names of their students correctly. This is important because it shows that you have enough interest in the child to take the time to learn his or her name.

It also shows that you have respect for that child. It is also important that schools be aware of the holidays of different cultures. For example, Christmas is focused on a lot more than any other holidays in many schools. Christmas is not only a seasonal holiday, but also a religious one. Focusing too much attention on this holiday may in turn make children realize what the "important" holiday is. This might make them feel like they are less superior then their peers who do celebrate Christmas.

"A winter concert that is secular in nature and includes a variety of cultural forms of expression may be more suitable". (Coelho: 1998). What else could be altered to make schools more comfortable for children of diverse ethnic backgrounds? What kind of food is served in most cafeterias? Many restrict the adjustments of multiculturalism to the classroom, but it actually should involve the whole school and the community. In most school cafeterias, American foods such as hamburgers, and french fries are served.

But schools are now staring to serve more vegetarian dishes. "Chinese food, falafels, rice dishes, and Jamaican patties are increasingly common". (Coelho: 1998). Educators must be careful when planning a field trip. "Field trips that involve overnight stays are especially difficult for families whose values include the isolation of females from interaction with males outside the family".

(Coelho: 1998). You might want to ask the parents of these children if they would like to chaperone if it would make them feel more comfortable. It would be also beneficial to stress that the trip is for educational purposes. It is also important that these children interact with the activities of their peers as much as possible so that they can become acquainted and feel more comfortable around each other.

What is extremely important is that teachers make sure that students and parents feel welcome into the school as new members of society. "A positive first encounter also increases the likelihood that parents will want to continue a relationship with the school and become involved in their children's education". (Coelho: 1998). Making these immigrant families feel comfortable is also important because, "many may arrive to register their children at any time during the school year, usually within days of their arrival in the country".

(Coelho: 1998). When children arrive in the middle of a school year, it makes the situation a lot more challenging for the teacher because the new child has missed a lot of what has already been taught in the classroom. It is especially difficult for the child to be in a classroom if he or she has just arrived in the country because it gives no time for them to adjust to their new surroundings. It is important to know which classrooms to place these children upon their arrival. "In elementary grades an in-depth assessment is not necessary because they are usually placed with their age peers".

(Coelho: 1998). The reason why they do this is mainly because of social reasons. They want these new students to be at the same levels as their peers and to be involved in age-appropriate activities. The child may also be placed in an English as a Second Language (ESL) class for some of the day.

"The best time to withdraw children is during activities that require a great deal of linguistic or cultural knowledge, such as language arts or social studies". (Coelho: 1998). In some schools, the child is not withdrawn from the class for ESL, but the ESL teacher stays in the main classroom and helps the second language learners. But some say that it is beneficial for the child to be taken out of the classroom for ESL, because this would be the time that the child would feel less pressure and feel more comfortable to express his or herself.

"Initial assessment information is extremely important for tracking the child's progress in the months and years ahead". Formal tests are not appropriate because they are usually designed for the cultural and linguistic knowledge of English-speaking students. It would be more beneficial to take language samples. For example, you can read a book to the child and ask them to write a response.

This method is exemplary because it allows you to note upon the child's grammar and also their writing styles. "You can also conduct an interview with the child to gather information about previous school experience, family, and interests". (Coelho: 1998). Teachers must have a flexible approach to instruction when dealing with a diverse classroom. An educator must be aware of their own teaching style and prejudices in order to adapt to the many different learning styles of their students. "A teacher's instructional style is based partly on individual personality, and partly on the teacher's beliefs, explicit or otherwise, about the goals of education, how children learn, how teachers should organize learning experiences, and the role of the teacher".

(Coelho: 1998). For some children, they learn by following instructions, and by doing class-work individually. But some children learn better when they are placed in groups, and by sharing ideas with their peers. Placing children in groups, or co-operative learning, is an important step for teachers to make, because children of diverse backgrounds will learn to get along with each other and help one another to reach a common goal. Some children prefer a learning environment in which one task is done at a time. These children may also prefer a classroom that is quiet and non-disruptive.

On the other hand, there are some students who are quite active and need to be doing something at all times. These students, for example, may find it difficult to remain seated for long periods of time, and they may need to roam around different areas of the classroom. "They tend to be regarded as disruptive or hyperactive". (Coelho: 1998). But is the child really hyperactive or is the teacher just conducting boring lessons? "For example, many African American children are raised in homes where there is a high level of energy and activity, therefore classrooms that include high-activity are more relevant to the cultural learning style of children of African ancestry.

In contrast, middle-class white children are raised in homes where activities are more linear or consecutive and relate better to learning activities that are relatively slow in pace and linear in development". (Coelho: 1998) Having knowledge of these learning differences, educators should alter their lesson plans in order to fit the unique learning styles of each student. For example, for one part of a lesson, the teacher should have students sit in their seats quietly. For the other part of the lesson, he or she should have their students perform a physical activity or move to a different part of the room.

In the past, most classrooms were teacher-centered, but now they are becoming more learner-centered. Although, as students enter higher-grade levels, they begin to encounter more teacher-centered classroom settings. In most other countries, the teaching style is still teacher-centered. In a teacher-centered classroom, information is projected from the teacher or the textbook directly to the students.

This often involves high levels of memorization. In a learner-centered classroom, the teachers support the students rather than directing them. "They are allowed to make mistakes and are given feedback on how to improve their performance". (Coelho: 1998). Most Chinese children are raised to respect authority and feel comfortable in a teacher-centered classroom. "Many immigrant children are accustomed to an authoritarian style of teaching".

They might also feel intimidated to speak up in class or to participate in activities because they are in a new environment. But on the other hand, "students who are marginalized through poverty or discrimination may also be predisposed to distrust authority and may question the knowledge that is being transmitted to them". (Coelho: 1998). In other words, some immigrants may have been treated poorly by authoritative figures and in turn may distrust the words of their teacher. Most importantly, teachers must be sure that their students feel comfortable, and must also realize that there are many different approaches to teaching.

My personal opinion about teaching in a multicultural environment is that it is very important to make children from other countries feel comfortable and accepted. I feel that it is the teacher's responsibility to make him or herself knowledgeable about the cultures of different countries. This is important because, if you have some idea of a child's background, it will help you learn what makes them feel most comfortable. The more you know about them, the more they will feel that you are interested in them. On the topic of diversity in general, I agree with the modern approach that instead of suppressing the cultures of the immigrants, they should keep their unique ways of living.

If they are forced to drop everything they know and adapt to a culture that is foreign to them, the will in turn loose their identity. They will also feel dominated and also that they have less advantages than those of the dominant culture. The reason for this is because they may feel like they will never be as "white" as the people who were born in the country. In the present day there is a massive immigration of people of Spanish decent into the United States.

What I disagree with, is the permit ence of all business places, convenience stores, and schools to accommodate to not only English speaking people, but Spanish speaking people as well. That is, everything has to be in English and Spanish. Even street signs have to be in Spanish to accommodate to Spanish speaking people. This is a problem in my opinion, because I believe it goes beyond allowing these people to feel comfortable. If these people are surrounded by their own language, they will never feel motivated to learn English. If they never learn English, they will not have a say in any politics.

They will not understand what is going on in their environment. I personally feel that I am very accepting of people of different ethnic backgrounds and their cultures. I do realize that my culture and where I come from is not the way of the rest of the world. I have friends of that come from very different backgrounds than myself, but after doing research on the subject, I realized that being accepting is not enough. You have to make yourself knowledgeable about the various cultures of different countries.

What I know about people of different ethnic origins is mostly only stereotypical. You have to also take into consideration their morals, values, religion, holidays, history, etc. This is a lot of information to hold in one's memory. On the topic of stereotypes, my research also made me realize that my teaching style may come from how I was raised. The way I view certain people from different backgrounds could be from what learned when I was young.

I must admit that I was surrounded by many racial slurs. Friends of mine still make racial comments every now and then. I am most definitely am not racist, but I did grow up in schools that were dominantly "white" and we were not taught the cultures of others, or how to be accepting of people from other backgrounds. "The way we have been brought up to perceive the world is not the only way and... it is possible to see beyond the 'truths' of our culture". (Ovando and McLaren: 2000). People stress the education of multicultural acceptance in diverse and urban schools, but what about in schools that are predominantly "white"?

I believe that it is just as, if not more important to make children of the dominant race aware of different cultures. "The majority of early childhood programs are racially, culturally, and socioeconomically homogeneous, and teachers often question the appropriateness of multicultural education in these settings". (Ramsey: 1987). The children that are in diverse classrooms automatically learn the acceptance of different people because they have direct experience. The children who are only surrounded by people similar them are likely to be the most racist. I believe it is a false notion that only children in diverse schools should learn about cultural acceptance.

I feel that it is important for all schools, especially because of the increase in diversity in the United States. From my research, I have realized that it is going to be extremely challenging to figure out lesson plans. Children have many different styles of learning. Therefore, a lesson plan that a teacher might feel is spectacular, may not work for every student. I know that I will have to consider many different unique methods of putting a lesson together.

According to my research, children of different backgrounds, are taught to learn in different ways. For example, some are independent workers, and some work better in groups. Some feel more comfortable in a teacher-centered classroom and some are more comfortable in a student-centered classroom. I know that creating the most beneficial lesson plan is going to be very challenging for me as a future educator. Many people think that they already know everything there is to know about teaching children of different cultures. What they do not know is that there is a lot more information about the subject then imaginable.

It is important to know the history of diversity and multiculturalism in society. It is an extremely important topic, especially in our world of mixed cultures in the present day. For future educators, it is going to be challenging to teach children about multicultural acceptance, an even more so to make children of all different backgrounds to feel comfortable. You also need to alter your lesson plans in accordance to the many various learning styles, which can be a very complicated task.

For future educators, I feel the topic of diversity is even more important as I observe my environment becoming increasingly diverse as the years go by.