Entry 4 Why Not Multiculturalism?

I am a strong believer in teaching multiculturalism in our schools, and I really don't understand the arguement against teaching it, but I enjoyed reading the articles, and there were some good points made in the articles.  In Mr. Waxler's article, I do agree that ideally we should incorporate multiculturalism into the curriculum as opposed to using specific times such as Black History month, Women's History month, etc. to teach about the contributions of different groups of people.  Mr. Waxler seems to have a good grasp of how to teach diversity and maintain a core curriculum. Unfortunately, some teachers are not able, or choose not to integrate diversity into the curriculum; therefore, having specific times to address diversity is better than not doing it at all.

Regarding Mr. Hirsh's article, I think we should have a combination of a particularistic and universalistic focus in our schools.  I think it is important for students to be aware of their own heritage as well as other cultures and to also recognize the importance of being patriotic and part of one larger group.  I think this can be taught very effectively.  When I was young, my mother was a member of the Cosmopolitan Club.  This was an organization made up of immigrant women from different countries.  They had ethnic dinners and supported social causes.  They were also very proud to be Americans and helped one another with the citizenship process.  They came together as American women who also happened to be immigrants.

Our country is changing and we have become much more diversified than we were thirty years ago.  We must change the way we teach in order to address these changes.  No one would conceive of teaching without technology today.  Just as we have made many changes in the classroom with technological tools, we must be aware of the ethnic changes in our classrooms and address the best ways to reach students from all parts of the world.  Teaching multiculturalism is essential in order for students to feel valued, included, and respected in our schools.