Multicultural Literature in the Classroom

I am in the Multicultural Literature course this semester (TE 448) and I wanted to post some ideas here that I have gained through that course, but can also be applied to all teaching courses.

I have really enjoyed my experience in this class (TE 448) because it has completely opened my eyes to another dimension of education. I think about the issues raised in this course now in my everyday life. Whenever I encounter a situation where I hear a racist remark or joke I feel responsible as an educator not just for students, but for society as well, to speak up and fight for acceptance which embraces our world of diversity. Diversity plays such an intricate role in education that the possibilities are endless. Whether your classroom has a diverse population or not, diversity is an important concept to teach. When a classroom does have students from a variety of different backgrounds, those students should feel as if they are being represented in the curriculum. Then, even if the students in your classroom are more of a homogeneous group, it is beneficial for those students to learn about people outside of their community, and realize there is more to our world than the "bubble." I grew up in a white suburban neighborhood and went to a school that comprised of 99% white students. I had one African American friend, two Asian-American friends, and one Native American friend in all 12 years of public school. I was naive to the rest of the world around me, until I came to Michigan State and began to meet new people and learn about many different cultures. I believe that literacy is the best avenue to take when introducing topics of diversity. Books can help students relate to the characters and apply the events in the book to their own lives. This is a great method to give your students an experience of empathy for other cultures and ways of life. My own personal philosophy of multiculturalism and diversity in the classroom, is to incorporate it into all areas of the classroom. Although it would require more planning, this method would be more effective because it just becomes a part of the classroom, versus a month long unit on diversity. I also think that the ideas need to be introduced gradually starting at the beginning of the year and continue to add in more bit by bit. Some of the issues can get very personal for some students, so it is most important to establish a comfortable community of learners in your classroom so everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas and experiences. My biggest concerns about bringing multiculturalism into my teaching is that I will arrive at a difficult situation and not know how to handle it. Being the teacher in the classroom, the students rely on you for the answers and management of the discussion/activity. I realize that there are some of those difficult questions that don't have solid answers and I just hope that I will be able to manage those "gray" areas with my students. Regardless of my fears, I have higher hopes and am so thankful to have this diverse children's literature course as a background in my education.