Joel Spring’s Deculturization and the Struggle for Equality has made me evaluate myself and my actions regarding race, ethnicity, and multiculturalism. Not only that, it has also pushed me to examine how my friends and family treat different cultures, and how I can guide them to be more open and respectful of those different cultures if necessary. This text exposed me to information that guided me to think harder and deeper, some very surprising information, and made me think about my own personal experiences and how they relate to Spring’s text. Deculturization and the Struggle for Equality made me think hard about America’s multicultural past, as well as how I will be able to prevent deculturization from happening in my own classroom. …show more content…
As stated in my Week 3 Journal Entry, at one point I was helping in a classroom with a child who speaks Spanish. Instead of trying to force the child to speak English, I tried to use some basic Spanish when I worked with them in order to make the child feel more comfortable. I believe by making this small effort to speak the child’s native language that the child was more willing to participate in class and try to learn English. An additional example of making a relation from the text to a personal experience is when I was in elementary through high school. I did not realize until reading Spring’s book how little cultural diversity was taught in my elementary, middle, and high school. I went to school in a very Scandinavian county, and we did not have a lot of diversity. There were several students in the district who came from Hispanic, Asian, or African decent—but they were very few. I cannot recall a day when a teacher spent time to discuss a one of these student’s cultures, which is utterly ridiculous. With the amount of time spent in school and the amount of diversity in the world, it seems illogical to barely speak of ethnic and cultural diversity. Even though there were only a handful of students in the district from different cultures, it would have been beneficial to learn more about the rest of the world because when high school is done we all go out into that diverse world. I know I will take the time and make the effort to teach my future students about the beauty of diversity and
Lisa Delpit’s book, “The Skin We Speak”, talked about language and culture, and how it relates to the classroom. How we speak gives people hits as to where we are from and what culture we are a part of. Unfortunately there are also negative stereotypes that come with certain language variations. There is an “unfounded belief that the language of low income groups in rural or urban industrial areas is somehow structurally “impoverished” or “simpler” than Standard English” (Delpit 71). The United States is made of people from various cultures and speak many different variations of languages. As teachers we must be aware of some of the prejudices we may have about language and culture.
Race and ethnicity is a main factor in the way we identify others and ourselves. The real question here is does race/ethnicity still matter in the U.S.? For some groups race is not a factor that affects them greatly and for others it is a constant occurrence in their mind. But how do people of mix race reacts to this concept, do they feel greatly affected by their race? This is the question we will answer throughout the paper. I will first examine the battle of interracial relationship throughout history and explain how the history greatly explains the importance of being multiracial today. This includes the backlash and cruelty towards interracial couple and their multiracial children. Being part of a multiracial group still contains its impact in today’s society; therefore race still remaining to matter to this group in the U.S. People who place themselves in this category are constantly conflicted with more than one cultural backgrounds and often have difficulty to be accepted.
concerns racial equality in America. The myth of the “Melting Pot” is a farce within American society, which hinders Americans from facing societal equality issues at hand. Only when America decides to face the truth, that society is not equal, and delve into the reasons why such equality is a dream instead of reality. Will society be able to tackle suc...
Kottak, Conrad Phillip and Kayhryn Kozaitis 2012 On Being Different, Diversity and Multiculturalism in the North American Mainstream, 4th edition, McGraw Hill Press, New York: Chapter 1.
However, the unjustified discrimination in America is often represented by the hard transition that immigrants face when they move to America. This statement is exemplified in the short narrative piece, “American Dreamer” by author Bharati Mukherjee. In “American Dreamer” Mukherjee reflects on her own experiences of being an immigrant and her transition into becoming an “American”. Most people think of America as a cultural melting pot where other cultures are accepted perhaps even celebrated. In spite of this, what America actually celebrates is harshly debated. America likes to say that is prides it self on being “multiculturalists”, yet Mukherjee points out that even multiculturalism, “leads to a lack of respect for individual differences within each group.” (358) The idea of multiculturalism seems like a good idea, but this is rather not true since the idea of multiculturalism, “implies the existence of a central culture.” (Mukherjee 358) Much of the unjustified discrimination in America comes from people from other cultures not fitting into the “central culture” that the US seems to have adopted. This has led to an “us” vs. “them” mentality (Mukherjee 359) in America. Many people in America seem to rely on discrimination since they don’t like the idea of America’s culture changing. However like Mukherjee states America shouldn’t be afraid of the culture changing and instead should embrace that America’s culture is “constantly reforming.” (Mukherjee 359) I hope like the author that one there will be less discrimination towards immigrants. I believe that if more Americans can accept that it our culture is constantly changing and that it is a good thing it is changing, there can be less unjustified discrimination. I truly think that discrimination can never be
Spring, Joel H.. Deculturalization and the struggle for equality: a brief history of the education of dominated cultures in the United States. 3rd ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 2001. Print.
In the United States today there is a great amount of cultural diversity, but unfortunately the predominant American culture causes other cultures to be overshadowed causing difficulties for students of other cultures to succeed in our school system. This is what we see in the story of the Indian Wind-Wolf as he begins going to kindergarten. For Wind-Wolf, this is his first time outside of the Indian culture and it is very difficult for him to be the only Indian in his classroom. It causes him to feel like an outcast. As teachers we have the responsibility to create an environment in the classroom that makes each student feel that they belong there. For Wind-Wolf, and any other cultural minorities, the typical classroom does not have these
...aced the Japanese in camps, discriminated the Chinese and placed anti-Asian laws to stop their immigration into this country, as well as the segregation against blacks just a few decades ago. In recent years, we have seen laws in states limiting Latino rights as well and gay rights. There will always be restrictions placed upon new faces, as there have always been. What this article reinforces is that we are no different to those of the past. History is doomed to always repeat itself, and restrict that which is different. We always hear of our country being a melting pot and multicultural. But what we do not always hear about in classrooms is the hardships people must go through in order to be included and rise above the discrimination. This type of article would serve well as an opener for discussions about tolerance, transnationalism and acceptance of all cultures.
...Teaching acceptance and diversity of different ethnicity is one of the key components that can be taught in our school systems today. Here in America we have many different ethnic groups and races, we are one big melting pot. During school these differences should be embraced in a positive manner and a proper learning experience. Diversity is often mistaken for the word division, and sometimes people teach that diversity is division. Diversity should be taught in a way that brings people together, not divide people into groups. Like Konig said, “I hadn’t really given much thought to the ethnic and national backgrounds of Sarah’s classmates. I can guarantee that Sarah, being two and a half gave the subject absolutely no thought.” (51) We can take a few lessons from Konigs daughter and learn to not give the subject any thought, and just accept people for who they are.
The world is made up of many different types of people, each one having his or her cultural background. Over the years, the United States has become increasingly populated with cultural diversity. This influx has prompted school administrators to recognize the need to incorporate multicultural programs into their school environment including classroom settings, school wide activities, and curriculum as it becomes more evident that the benefits of teaching cultural diversity within the school setting will positively influence our communities, and ultimately the entire nation’s future. The purpose of this paper is to share the pros and cons of multicultural education in the classroom. Additionally, I will express my views compared to those in the reading requirements for this assignment, as well as, new knowledge obtained through the research. Finally, I will share situations where I was challenged introducing a multicultural issue during a class.
Diversity in classrooms can open student’s minds to all the world has to offer. At times diversity and understanding of culture, deviant experiences and perspectives can be difficult to fulfill, but with appropriate strategies and resources, it can lead students to gain a high level of respect for those unlike them, preferably from a judgmental and prejudiced view. Diversity has a broad range of spectrums. Students from all across the continent; students from political refugees, indigenous Americans, and immigrants bring their cultural and linguistic skills to American classrooms. Students not only bring their cultural and linguistic skills, but they bring their ethnicity, talents, and skills.
Culture is a powerful influence plays a big role in our interactions. Culture may also impact parenting style and a developing child. Having a strong sense of their own cultural history and the traditions associated with it helps children build a positive cultural identity for themselves. This also supports children’s sense of belonging and, by extension, their mental health and wellbeing. This class is crucial in understanding and working well parents, staff, and children. An effective educator understands how students’ cultures affect their perceptions, self-esteem, values, classroom behavior, and learning. As director, I need to use that understanding to help my students and staff feel welcomed, affirmed, respected, and valued. One way that I can do this is by using multicultural literature, especially children’s literature, to honor students’ culture and foster cross-cultural understanding. If cultural differences are not understood by teachers and management, it can lead to miscommunication and misunderstandings on both sides. It will be my job to do all I can to overcome both language and cultural differences to ensure a positive learning environment for
The world is currently undergoing a cultural change, and we live in an increasingly diverse society. This change is not only affect the people in the community but also affect the way education is viewed. Teaching diversity in the classroom and focusing multicultural activities in the programs can help improve positive social behavior in children. There is no question that the education must be prepared to embrace the diversity and to teach an increasingly diverse population of young children.
The concepts included in providing a more diverse, multicultural education are requiring teachers to review their own issues and prejudices while expanding their knowledge of the many cultures that make up the classroom. These efforts help the educator recognize the various individual and cultural differences of each student, as well as gain an understanding on how these differences impact the learning process. The purpose of this paper is to reflect upon individual and cultural difference research and why diverse students struggle to succeed in school. Furthermore, I will share some instructional approaches I could implement in the classroom to accommodate diverse students. Finally, I will discuss the responsibility of educators in addressing the issue of how our o...
In conducting her research, the author understood that she needed to describe key issues of culturally diverse students, recommend a curriculum approach to address the issues, and discuss the challenges and benefits expected. In reading Cultural and Linguistic Diversity: Issues in Education (2010), s...