It's NOT All Or Nothing (cont.)

An article Multiculturalism E Pluribus Plures by Diane Ravitch written in 2001 put into words some of the feelings I have been having. She makes the following points:

Point #1: Thanks to social historians like Stephan Thernstrom, Mary Beth Norton, Gary Nash, Winthrop Jordan, and Leon Litwack today's history textbooks incorporate the experiences of women, blacks, American Indians, and various immigrants which reflects a broadened warts-and-all historical understanding of race, ethnicity, and class in the American past. Not only do these textbooks acknowledge the struggles for equality by minorities but also identifies who achieved success becoming political leaders, doctors, scientists, lawyers, scholars, and teachers.

Point #2: A study of a warts-and-all world and American history should inspire humility in all of us as this study will reveal that all racial groups have been guilty of committing terrible crimes, often against others in the same group--Man's inhumanity to man. It will become apparent how absurd both racial hatred and racial chauvinism are.

Point #3: Cultural pluralism is generally recognized as something that is part of this society and that differences among groups is a national resource rather than a problem to be solved. The unique feature of the United States is that its common culture is multicultural.

Point #4: A close examination of American history shows that rather than ethnic tensions tearing us apart as they have in other countries different groups in America while they have competed, fought, and suffered, they ultimately learned to live together in relative peace and harmony and achieved a sense of common nationhood.

Point #5: "Almost any idea, carried to its extreme, can be made pernicious," including multiculturalism.

Point #6: Celebrating Black History Month, Women's History Month, and other ethnic groups when all learn about the achievements of these different groups are a reminder that neither race nor gender needs to be an insurmountable obstacle to high achievement. It can also be a reminder to children of all racial and ethnic backgrounds that they are part of this country and that they, too, should develop their minds and talents to the fullest. It's also important to remember that all children (and adults!) , whatever their skin color, can be inspired by the lives of people of all skin colors, males and females, who exhibited courage, persistence, and intellect. Yet, it also important to understand that although we can be inspired by others of all skin colors, self-esteem and self-confidence come from reaching a goal through one's own efforts.

Point #7: American education is centered on Americentric rather than Eurocentric--and Americentric includes every culture that makes up America.

Point #8: Public schools exist to teach children the general skills and knowledge that they need to succeed in American society and to be contributing members of society to create a national community that is both expansive and inclusive.

Point #9: "Pluralism is a positive value, but it is also important that we preserve a sense of an American community--a society and culture to which we all belong."

It's NOT All Or Nothing

A couple of days ago I read an article written in 2003 by Dr. Sonia Nieto who at the time was a professor of Language, Literacy, and Culture in the Department of Teacher Education and Curriculum Studies at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. The article entitled Profoundly Multicultural Questions came from the Educational Leadership Journal.

This article resonated with me because Dr. Nieto reminds us about what it means to provide an education that is both multicultural and equitable. Nieto that when the two are not linked, "we may end up with young people who feel good about themselves and their heritage but who have few skills to prepare them for life, or alternatively, who know how to do math and science and read, but who know little about their cultural backgrounds and are even ashamed and embarrassed by them."

Nieto also reminds us how critical culturally responsive pedagogy is for educators so that they view what diverse students bring to the classroom as assets rather than deficits. Yet, we must go further and address the inequities that exist in our schools that are reflected by low test scores, dropout rates, and other indicators, existing in every socioeconomic group.

One of the questions Nieto asks is, "Who's Teaching the Children?" She notes that those teachers working in poor urban schools tend to be those who are less experienced and less prepared. She notes that even though all educators can learn the attitudes and skills to be effective with our increasingly diverse student population. we need more diverse faculties. She mentions studies that have shown that having teachers of color in a school can promote the academic achievement of diverse learners...and at times, even white students.

What Nieto is teaching us through her article is that although there are benefits to teachers being more culturally responsive, we must never lose sight of the bottom line which is: student learning. Yet, student learning must never come about at the expense of a learner having to give up who she or he is. Both are critical if our diverse learners are to reach their potential and become productive and contributing members of society.