Race, Class, And Gender Issues In Multicultural Education

In a society that expects equal rights for every individual, somehow cultural bias and political correctness has seeped its way into American education. There is no hiding place from race, class, or gender issues in education. Morally, all cultures and ways of thinking are equal to everything else. To assume otherwise would be politically incorrect. The ways of looking at multiculturalism and diversity needs to be transformed. Multicultural education must be an integral element of the teacher preparation program (Larke, 1990). Curriculum and textbooks are now being changed as to not offend any culture. Curriculum is being referred to as culturally biased for failing to credit contributions from other cultures. Previous content, such as Shakespeare,

Can teachers manage not to be? As political as education issues can get, teachers are instructed to refrain from cultural bias and from being politically incorrect. Politically correct is also known as being culturally sensitive, which means being sensitive to the differences of other people. Cultural bias is treating people differently based on their cultural background. Reading material usually reflects the majority culture, and textbooks often misrepresents other cultures. Several researchers agree that most contributions to academic subject matter are made by members of the majority race or culture (American Psychological Association, 2003; Gay, 2000; Rogoff, 2003). Textbook should include stories and pictures of individuals from many cultures. Even standardized tests can be culturally biased in the same way by asking questions that are only geared towards certain cultures. The term “culturally responsive teaching” describes an environment in which teachers respond appropriately to the diverse learning experiences of students in their classroom. Teachers must consciously and conscientiously gain and consider cultural knowledge to develop lesson plans and assignments that build on student strength (Gollnick & Chinn,

“Although culture influences thinking, schools expect students from a variety of cultural backgrounds to comprehend and learn many new and complex ideas even when exposed to language and values that differ from their own” (Langer, 1987). Teachers should consider moving past the limitations of cultural history month by including multiple perceptions into all areas of the curriculum. Help students develop empathy by providing opportunities for students to share life experiences, such as choosing literature that does not reinforce existing stereotypes. Most people have been adapted into stereotypical thinking, where individuals may not be aware that certain behaviors are hurtful to others. In this case, teachers should create an environment that allows for mistakes. However, teachers should always be prepared for intervention of cultural biased situations in the classroom. All students deserve a safe environment, and teachers should make it clear to students that insults will not be allowed in the classroom. Every effort should be made to have a classroom that explores cultural diversity instead of being culturally