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Multicultural Education

Courtnee Jones

Fresno Pacific University

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Why Multicultural Education

Multiculturalism is about more than a classroom with a variety of skin color but it also

includes careful examination of the neighborhoods, parenting styles and general experiences that

shape each and every student. Each student has a background of a different culture that other

students are curious about because everyone does not look the same. Teaching different cultures

in the classroom is definitely a must do because this will help the children in their future. The

saying Racism isn't born, folks. It's taught is completely true,children come into this world not

knowing why other people have different skin color, hair type or language, they are friends to

everyone. What kids learn in their classroom environments when it comes to interactions with

those who are different from them translates into how well they will manage life.

The goals to have multicultural education in our classrooms are to feel valued and

respected, Be successful, both academically and socially, Recognize and understand diverse

perspectives and make meaningful contributions in a democratic society. Multicultural education

is more than celebrating Cinco de Mayo with tacos and piatas or reading the latest biography of

Martin Luther King Jr. It is an educational movement built on basic American values such as

freedom, justice, opportunity, and equality. It is a set of strategies aimed to address the diverse

challenges experienced by rapidly changing U.S. demographics. And it is a beginning step to

shifting the balance of power and privilege within the education system. I remember when I was

in school learning about Cinco De Mayo and Martin Luther King Jr. but we did not go as far as

the main ones being talked/known about. It has always been about the Hispanics, African

Americans and the Caucasians but knowing about anything else as I think back I do not

remember. Our world today is filled with different nationalities and I believe our youth should

know about them as well then just the main three that get talked about.
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Unfortunately, multicultural education is not as easy as a yearly heritage celebration or

supplemental unit here and there. Rather, it requires schools to reform traditional curriculum. It

takes a lot of knowledge to teach and learn about different cultures! Too often, students are

misinformed and misguided. Not all textbooks present historical content fully and accurately.

There are textbooks and worksheets that only go so far to introducing the different cultures and

their celebrations. As an example, Christopher Columbus is celebrated as the American hero who

discovered America. This takes on history completely but ignores the pre-European history of

Native Americans and the devastation that colonization had on them. Some history books are

being revised, but often, its much easier to teach that In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean

blue. Children now a days get bored and not interested in history that does not usually benefit

them in anyway so as instructors it is their job to make it quite interesting to them so they can

remember.

To integrate multicultural education in your classroom and your school, you can:

Integrate a diverse reading list that demonstrates the universal human experience across cultures,

Encourage community participation and social activism, Go beyond the textbook, By

supplementing your curriculum with current events and news stories outside the textbook, you

can draw parallels between the distant experiences of the past and the world today. Creating

multicultural projects that require students to choose a background outside of their own. You can

even suggest that your school host an professional development on multi-cultural education in

the classroom and grab a couple of different cultures to come inside the classroom to speak and

share their own culture.

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References

Abramova, I. (2012). A Review of Rethinking Multicultural Education: Teaching for Racial and
Cultural Justice. Multicultural Perspectives, 14(2), 109-113. doi:
10.1080/15210960.2012.673370

Lynch, E. M. (2014, March 11). The Call to Teach: Multicultural Education. Retrieved April 30,
2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-lynch-edd/the-call-to-teach-
multicu_b_4568066.html

Zinn, M. B., Eitzen, D. S., & Wells, B. (2015). Diversity in Families. Pearson Education.