Analysis Of Perspectives: Creating A Multicultural Education

Section II: Developing Perspectives: Creating a Multicultural Education for All Children As my identity is made up of several parts and is an accumulation of my childhood and experience, so will be the case for every student that passes through my door. However, where I have had privileges in my life, it is possible my future students have not had those luxuries and it is their experience and how they act at school that is central to the institution of education. While all parts of their identity play a role in the social inequalities apparent in education, socioeconomic status stands out as a central issue for youth in these current times. SES plays a role in the home life of a student and the presence of their parents. In a 2010 study, researchers

Future teachers, like myself, should work to express cultural relevant teaching (CRT) which is an act of understanding the underlying cultural elements in a classroom that contribute to the individual identities of each student and how the classroom will function based on the unique parts. The material should be accessible to each student and help them find a personal investment in the class. Becoming a culturally relevant teacher takes work and is broken into three steps in McGee Bank’s article “Becoming a Cross-Cultural Teacher”. Those steps are self-examination, insight and planning and finally completing and implementing an action plan. The article stresses the importance of working with other teachers to develop these skills and how one must be careful not to stereotype when trying to identify. This paper focus’ on the self-examination step of this process and has forced me to explore my own identity and the role it will play in my classroom. My privilege has created natural walls of ignorance about situations like SES and lack of parental involvement that I must make a conscious effort to knock down. My understanding of self will then help inform my understanding of others and create personal and meaningful relationships with my

Part of my plans to be a culturally relevant teacher follows the ideas in the article “What Can Teachers Do to Foster Positive Student Engagement in the Classroom?” which promote parent involvement, extracurricular activities and the creating of a safe environment at school. These steps force me as a teacher to consciously seek new experiences with my students and interactions with their parents. Extracurricular activities and a safe environment can be especially helpful in addressing low SES families since they help create a positive and strong safe place that students can interact with their peers and staff which may not always be the case at home. Gloria Ladson-Billing (1995), stresses the importance that students experience academic success, which can be promoted by me, the teacher. I must be aware that how I experienced academic success is a product of my upbringing, but that recognition will help me be more open to how my students will succeed. CRT is an ongoing process that starts with my sense of self and expands to my students through our similarities and differences, providing a classroom where everyone is welcome and can