Blog Entry 4 Multiculturalism and the Curriculum

Multiculturalism in the curriculum I think is a very good idea. Students should be taught to be tolerant of all cultures and just in a specific month. Adam Waxler addresses that issue in his article Multiculturalism in Education. Black History Month and Women's History Month are prime examples of taking multiculturalism out of the curriculum but yet segregating it. However, I realize that these months were fought for back in the era when both women and African Americans didn't have much of a voice. Today is totally different because we now have an African American First Family and a woman Secretary of State. Those are two prime examples of how both have stronger voices now.

I am from a very small town in Tennessee and the entire town thrived on social control. One way was the only way or trouble it was. Within that town and school I was a double minority. I don't remember being taught about other American cultures in school. Hispanic heritage was never mentioned even though there was a rapid growth of Hispanics in our area. The small town was a great place to grow up, but people were afraid to speak up. I recall gathering in a particular area in the school building before classes began in high school. Every area in the school was pretty much in different social circles. However, my particular gathering place for the mornings was with a group of my childhood friends. We would sit, laugh, and eat just like all of the other clicks and we thought that we were harmless. It wasn't until I was called out of class into the principals office to discuss that our click needed to disperse in the mornings because people were afraid to walk in front of us. They were afraid that we might do something to them. My head began to spin because the principal could see everything that we were doing because it was directly in front of his office. We were then told that we needed to start socializing with other groups in the school more because we looked like a gang. The fact that I was on every sports team in the school with non African American students. My best friend was not African American, and none of the other groups were asked to mingle with us totally hurt my feelings. It was then that I knew that ignorance is a really big part of why that small town is still the same way. If students were taught to embrace things instead of being afraid of what they don't know could make a difference in life.

Once I went to college and attended a HBCU my whole world changed. I then saw the reverse of what I had learned my K-12 years. I did see the reverse of how things were in my small town. I felt very out of place and was labeled at the beginning because of where I was from. It was like I had to prove myself for no apparent reason. Those students who ridiculed where still in the same type of environment they grew up in and were and simply had no clue about the small town life. Again, ignorance played a strong part in that.

While student teaching I was introduced to the Core Curriculum. Just by reading about it in the article by E.D. Hirsch I would have thought that it was a way for multiculturalism to take over education. Actually working with the curriculum is exactly the same as using Tennessee state standards. It made sure that certain points were hit that deal with multiculturalism. I personally would be open to actually trying it. As an educator I do agree more with Waxler and the fact that we need to teach children about multiculturalism all the time, not just in a specific month or week. I think that this can be achieved by pulling in other sources to help when a teachable moment arises.