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 believe the small groups and the dialogue journals are a great way to promote conversation and understand what each student is thinking. I think I would have the students share background information with each other so they can compare their similarities and differences. I think we should teach our children at an early age thewe are all the same, but different. What these students are sharing are their most private thoughts and in the case of the girl who is comtemplating suicide, she most definitely needs intervention. The use of dialogue journals may have saved her life. Somehow, I would work to positively promote and celebrate multiculturalism in the classroom and emphasize the postives within all people, but students are aware of prejudice and sterotypes and those issues needs to be addressed as well. There are a variety of ways to implement multicultural education and if you choose not to use dialogue journals, there are many other tools and activities that could be utilized. I myself think celebrating each persons culture and sharing how we are alike and different by examining our own cultures and the cultures of others is a great way to teach and learn about how we are alike and different.