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!) I would emphasize both differences and similarities. Those two things makes out country so interesting. I would suggest when teaching about famous persons, ask the students what made them successful, was it there race or their motivation? This reminds students that ultimately we decide what's important to us. Also, suggest this free writing subject to your students, "American classrooms looked a lot difference 70 years ago. How do you feel about these differences?" Allow students to see progress for themselves. Also, there are so many examples of American traditions that are not race related you could teach on. For instance, teach traditions that came from Germans, north Africans, Chinese, etc. Emphasize culture, ethnicities, and nationalities, not race.