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!) This is a very interesting situation. I don't see anything wrong with the freewrite journals. If students are sharing things of that serious magnitude with that teacher that means that they are comfortable with her, and they respect her as a teacher and person. I actually feel like one of the things that are wrong with our society is our fear of awkward and "sticky" situation. Instead of ignoring these issues, teachers, parents, and administrators need to be more proactive. We need to get to know out students and children better. It seems that we live in a time where more kids are hurting themselves because of things adults don't even know about, and sometimes because we as adults brush them off when they are indirectly or directly telling us to hear them out. This teacher is doing the right thing by allowing the students write about what they want. She could honestly be helping them release those built up feelings and make for a better tomorrow.