Entry 3 Reflections on Multiculturalism in the Classroom

My initial thoughts on teaching multiculturalism and diversity in the classroom are very simple. I can't imagine not addressing the contributions different groups have made to our country and our world.  I also can't imagine how anyone can challenge teaching students to understand and respect the similarities and differences that different groups share.

I teach in a school that does have limited diversity in the student population.  There is less than 10%  of any group other than white represented.  I think it is very important for all of our students to be aware of the different cultural representations and contributions made by different groups  in our society.

I do have different impressions of each of the three articles.

Pitthissippi Burning - I agree with PJ Tobias' concern with the amount of hate literature and hate groups that is surfacing.  Although he seems to be somewhat obsessed with hate groups, I do think it is good for individuals to research and analyze these writings. There has been an increase in hate and nationalist groups in our country and I do feel that these groups pose a threat to our security.

Why Multiculturalism is Wrong
I do agree that one of the hazards of addressing multiculturalism is that individuals who may wish to not be identified by their different cultural or racial backgrounds could be stereotyped due to so much emphasis on being aware of differences, but I don't think the argument is not strong enough for us to ignore and not teach about our different ethnic backgrounds.  I also  don't think teaching about multiculturalism will weaken the pride we most of us have as Americans. Having a unified pride in our country is extremely important, and I feel that most individuals who choose to live here have tremendous pride in being part of this country.


The Challenge of Multiculturalism In How Americans View the Past and the Present
We use the textbooks Mr. Taylor refers to in our school, and I have been impressed with the attempts the publishers have made to include a multicultural perspective into the social studies books.  I think they are much improved over past textbooks.  I do agree with him that there is no way to make every group happy when writing a textbook on history.  Each group will naturally fight for more representation and will make criticism's regarding exclusion of certain events.  I also agree that we may not emphasize some key points in American history due to the addition of multicultural material.  Mr. Taylor justifies his stand with the statement:  For many non-whites, multiculturalism is merely a step on the way to an explicitly racial, Afrocentric or Hispanic history.  Their goal is separation rather than inclusive.  I disagree with his use of many.  I am sure there are some non-whites who feel this way just as there are some whites who would like for the history instruction to continue to be focused exclusively on white accomplishments.

I do think we need to keep a healthy balance as we teach the importance of being individuals who are proud of our heritage, Americans who are proud of our country, and as human beings who are part of the world.

Entry 2 - Grammar

My initial thoughts regarding grammar include grammar drills and assignments in school which I think would be described as prescriptive grammar.  My parents were from Scotland and my mother insisted that we use the Queen's language which would be considered standard English.  My mother said that when she and her friends played on the playground or spoke at home, they spoke Gaelic, but in school they always spoke the Quenn's English.  Gaelic would be considered a slang dialect today.  When we moved to Tennessee I very quickly picked up Tennessee slang and shortened my words like nothing and something to nuthin and somethin.  I loved to use the word ain't, but I knew better than to dare use it at home or in school.  When we were taught grammar rules, I never paid attention and I always made A's in English.  I thought that grammar was just natural.  The lack of knowledge of certain parts of speech became a little bit of a problem when I faced questions on standardized tests and later in life when I taught elementary school English.  As an ESL teacher, I am having to look carefuly at some of the rules and vocabulary terms that are associated with grammar in order to teach grammar effectively.

I do believe that standard English is important for students to learn and use, particularly in a professional setting.  When I have taught in the classroom, I have always tried to be respectful of dialects or non-standard English used in the home.  I have given students examples of errors I make that I developed because of bad speaking habits.  I explain that I can teach the correct way to use the words, but I still sometimes misuse them when I speak.

Teaching ESL students has given me a different perspective on grammar.  I do think it is important to teach grammar so that students can communicate effectively with others, but I think it is a very long process and I don't get hung up on students who use incorrect grammar.  I am more interested in getting the basic information and concepts from students.  For example, I feel like verb tense is basically  fine tuning the students' English acquisition. Since I teach students in K-3, I mainly address grammar in a more descriptive manner.  When a student responds to a question but does not use the correct pronoun or verb tense, I will say yes, that is correct.  Then I will repeat the answer using correct grammar.  I do spend more time on grammar with my  third grade student since this is addressed more in the classroom and grammar will be adressed more on standardized tests.  I do use some prescriptive grammar since this is a more direct approach and it is easier to address the different skills using prescriptive grammar.  I prefer descriptive grammar over prescriptive, but I like to use a combination of them with my students.

Entry 1 Multicultural Education

Multicultural education is exploring and teaching the similarities and differences between people of different ethnic backgrounds, religious backgrounds, race, gender, socioeconomic background, age, and experience.  As Gosrski states, multicultural education involves looking at and transforming yourself and your own beliefs and bias', the school's beliefs and society's attitudes.

Multicultural education is difficult to define for me partly because it is difficult for me to understand that we still have so much work to do to gain a respect and understanding of the differences between so many groups.  I can understand exploring different cultures,  but multicultural education goes far beyond that.  It includes getting students to respect the differences and be aware of all the wrong that has happened to people throughout history.  It means addressing issues that can be painful and can mean having to accept ownership for much of the harm that continues today.  It means examining current law and practices the majority may be very comfortable with but which discriminate against minority groups.

The challenges facing classroom teachers begin with  being fully aware of their own bias' and the misinformation they were given when learning about historical events and interactions between groups of people.  The next challenge is teaching students who have been strongly influenced by their home environments regarding prejudice and have been given misinformation regarding different groups of people and their role in history and society.  This will be followed by challenges within the school environment including administrators who have not had much, if any, quality training in multicultural education.  The next challenge is dealing with the bias' in textbooks regarding the way different groups of individuals are depicted, and testing bias's, particularly during a time of high stakes testing.  Society poses a challenge to teachers by being an obstacle in allowing a teacher to openly explore many of the conflicts and challenges that face our society today.

Introduction

Welcome to my ESL grammar blog!  I have created this blog in order to post my experiences this semester in SPSE 6810- Grammar for the ESL Classroom.  I am currently taking courses through MTSU in order to receive my ESL add-on endorsement. I am currently working with five ESL students and I love it! I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with you!