TeacherServer.com
Home | How It Works | Stats
Login | Register
     
  Case: De-emphasize Differences.
I was recently assigned to the middle school in the Warren School District. The district serves a community that had once been an all-white middle-class enclave, but has recently become more diverse in its ethnic makeup. I am very interested in multicultural education. I instituted the use of dialog journals in my adviser group, telling the students that they can write anything they want. Some journal entries cause me concern. Warren Jackson, an African American, complains that my emphasis on African American culture embarrasses him. Gail Smith, a white girl, writes that her parents object strongly to her affection for Warren Jackson and that she is considering suicide. My problems come to a head in my first meeting with the principal. The principal suggests that I decrease his use of small groups, that I abandon my dialogue journals, and that I de-emphasize the multicultural aspects of my classes. He suggests that I emphasize similarities, not differences. I don't know what to do. I do think that my methods have some value but I cannot go against my principal.
Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!)
Okay, the absolute first thing you need to do is notify the school counselor that Gail is considering suicide. Not only is this an ethical and legal responsibility, this is a human life we are talking about, private journal or no private journal. With the most pressing matter of suicide addressed, I would advise you listen to your principal as they are your boss. However, I really think you should make a case for the journals. Without them you wouldn't have known about Gail's suicidal thoughts or Warren's discomfort with the multicultural curriculum. Try to help your principal see the benefits of dialogue journals. Addressing your principal's other concerns; you can decrease the use of small groups without abandoning them altogether. Again, I would make a case for the use of small groups as they are one of the most successful ways to engage students.
One question I have is the manner in which you are incorporating multicultural education into your classroom. If you indeed are focusing on the differences between cultural groups, this may be the root of Warren's embarrassment, particularly if he is the only non-white student. I agree with your principal in that you should emphasize similarities and not differences. This to me doesn't mean that you cannot point out differences as they are of great value as well, but that the focus of any multicultural lesson or activity is for students to see the similarities amongst cultural groups. It is in this way that we as a society participate in today's multicultural world.