Blog Entry #4 - Multiculturalism and the Curriculum

For this blog entry I have been asked to read the following three articles:


“Organizers See ‘New Civil Rights Movement’ in Immigration Protests by Niko Kyriakou,

“Multiculturalism in School Curriculum” by Adam Waxler,

And

“Toward a Centrist Curriculum: Two Kinds of Multiculturalism in Elementary School” by E.D. Hirsch Jr.

And reflect on the following: Think about your own experiences in schools. In what ways were the curriculum, policies, and structure of your school used as a means of social control?

I fully agree that my own experiences in school were a means of training me to be a member of society. As a high school student I vividly remember being assigned to read a book from a list of authors and I decided that I did not want to read any of those books, so I read some Vonnegut, and did the assignment. I turned in a paper about the book I chose and the response from the teacher was all about social control. She wrote on the paper that she was glad I had an interest in such books, and that she was glad that I did the assignment, but she would not give me a better grade than a 60% because I did not complete the assignment as asked.

Now, as a practicing teacher I feel that if a child wants to read a book that is well over the required reading level of the books from a list, why not? Who am I to say what a child should read, or enjoy reading? If they want to read Vonnegut, read Vonnegut, if they want to read Chaucer, read Chaucer! As far as I am concerned, at least they are reading!!

But, beyond that this teacher was really teaching me how to function in the world beyond the 10th grade classroom. You cannot simply read whatever you want in college and turn something in that is not related to the curriculum. You cannot just do whatever kind of work you please at work and expect to retain employment. I agree with her now, that there are rules that need to be followed, but as a teacher I would not suppress my students’ ability and desire to read beyond a reading list.

After reading “Toward a Centrist Curriculum: Two Kinds of Multiculturalism in Elementary School” by E.D. Hirsch Jr. I let out a sigh of relief, this article was the first I have read about educational theory that spoke to me, in a long time. I fully believe that we must first have students reading and writing at grade level. Students must have a basic understanding of math and science before we can give them a true multicultural education. They will not be able to understand the contributions of African-Americans or the Chinese to America in the 1900’s without basic abilities.

I also found the idea of Cosmopolitanism to be very interesting. The idea that we need to recognize that we as humans are part of the human race and that we need to understand that our impact as individuals reaches much farther than what we really recognize. Our economy is global, shouldn’t we also be?

I also agree with Waxler that a multicultural curriculum is possible, and will also prepare students for standardized testing. I personally really just wish I did not have to write that. I’m truly sick of standards; I wish my students were afforded freedoms to study what interests them through the curriculum that I present. I do many of the activities that he suggests, such as looking at different viewpoints and exploring the lives of others.

The new civil rights movement has lost it’s momentum since when the article was published in 2006. I believe that the students I teach, who come from around the world are a blessing. I also believe that the idea of illegal immigrants and the possibility of arrest really hinders my parent involvement. I wish everyone in this nation would remember how we all got here, and remember that the people who come here do so because they want a better life, just like our forefathers did.

Another way I as a student was given a very structured education was my studies. I was not able to decide what classes I would take, or what I would study, beyond my choice between Chemistry and Horticulture and Spanish or French. Students and teachers are bound by laws to be taught and teach certain “standards”. The districts are required to test these “standards”. But, where is that really getting us?

I believe that my education in the late 1980’s until 1999 was much less structured than it is now. Students now must reach certain benchmarks, pass certain tests, and take certain classes to graduate. There is no room for individuality on the part of the teacher therefore also for the student. To me it is sad that students are not given more freedom to explore, we all know that as we go further from school and into the working and university world that we must follow greater rules and abide by certain standards. I believe schools should be helping students to become productive members of society, but not at the expense of their individuality.