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 most serious journal entry is that written by Gail Smith. You cannot ignore this. You need to let the school counselor and perhaps the school social worker know right away. This may just be teenage venting but, what if it isn't? Advising is done really differently at most schools. I'm not sure it this is an enrichment or remediation class or if it is simply the group of student you are shepherding through class enrollment. Your solution will be dependent on your objectives but providing more structure and having clear objectives may help both you and your students. Remember sometimes it is not what we teach but how we teach it that really defines if we are providing a multicultural education. Next I think there is a way to accommodate your principals wishes while still honoring many cultures. For example, you could highlight a significant American or world citizen each week and teach about that person's contribution to society. You could then have the students choose a related prompt to write about in their journals. Hopefully each prompt will allow them to express emotions but will also be topical. If each of these figures is great writer you can compare and contrast author styles and contributions. This will allow you to both compare and contrast the figures through a cultural lens and you can also support your logic for doing this in relation to Bloom's taxonomy. I think this will honor both objectives and if you emphasize a variety of cultures perhaps Warren Jackson will feel less embarrassed.