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Absolutes
ThereisaquotebythephilosopherEpicurusthatgoessomethinglike:Ihavenever
wishedtocatertothecrowdforwhatIknowtheydonotapprove,andwhattheyapproveIdo
notknow.ThishaslongbeenaguidingprincipleformewhenIhappenuponnewinteractions
withpeople.Also,Ithinkthisquoteappliesperfectlytothesubjectofstudentsindividual
cultures.IamawarethatIliveinAmericawhichis,arguably,theguidingbeaconforWestern
popularcultureandideology.However,Ibelievethatitisabsolutelynecessarythatstudents
maintainasmuchoftheirindividualculture,whetheritbeethnic,political,orsocial,aspossible.
Fortoolongwehavebeentryingtogroomourstudentssothattheymayfitacertainmold
withinoursociety.Anunfortunatesideeffectofthispracticeisthelossofindividualcultural
traitslikecustoms,language,behavior,dress,andattitudes.Asaresultweoftenseeadeclinein
theeducationqualityandintelligencelevelofmanystudentswhoareimmigrantsorwhomay
haveimmigrantparents.Ithasbeenfoundthatlearningmaybefosteredbyencouragingthe
maintenanceandaffirmationofstudentsculturesandlanguagesandthatassimilationisnot
necessarilyaprerequisiteforacademicsuccess.(Nieto,1999,p.65)Inmyopinion,itisthevast
menagerieofpeopleandculturesthatmakeAmericasowonderfullydiverseandexciting.
Thebeautyoftruemulticulturaleducationisthatiteffortlesslyintertwinesstandard
lessonplansandcontentwithideasconcerningsocialjustice.OnetermthatJenHolladay
highlightsinherTEDTalkisprosocialproficiency.Whatshemeansbythistermisthat
multiculturallessonsshouldbepresentedandunderstoodfrommultiplespointsofviewandthat
theyshouldencouragestudentstoworkcollaborativelyindiversegroups.(2013)Byfocusing

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ontheintegrationofdifferentculturesintoourcoursecontent,wearenaturallysupportingthe
acceptanceofsaidculturaltraitsandadvancingsocialjustice.Also,bydevelopingcreative
anglestoviewlessonsweareencouragingcriticalandhigherorderthinkingskills.Iparticularly
enjoyHolladaysexampleofalessonplanonthesettlementoftheWesternFrontierasseen
throughtheeyesoftheAmericanBison.Itisthatkindofthinkingthatwillallowustofurther
expand,evolve,andimproveuponoureducationalphilosophies.
Watchingtheclipsof
DatelinesMyKidWouldNeverDoThat
wasincrediblydifficult
andsomewhattroublesome.IguessIhadheldthisidealisticnotionthatbecauseourkidswere
soapttoproclaimingtheirbeliefsonlineandonsocialmediathatitwouldbesecondnaturefor
themtovoicetheiropinionsaloud.Alas,Iwasdisappointedinseeingsuchhesitationwhen
confrontedwithreallifeinjustices.ItisbecauseofthisexperimentthatIintendtoencouragemy
studentstobevocalproponentsofjusticeandacceptance.IrealizedthatIwasinthesame
mindsetastheirparents,thinkingthattheirchildwouldstoptheinjusticeandprejudicebecause
thatishowtheywereraised.Unfortunately,Ihadforgottenaboutpeerpressure,myoldfoe,and
itspowerfuleffectsontheteenagepsyche.Itbrokemyhearttowatchthatsingulargirlinthe
finalsegment,andhowmuchguiltshefeltduetoherpassivity.(
Dateline
,Part6)Now,itisnot
myintentiontogivethesekidsaproverbialsoapbox,atopwhichtheymightproclaimtheir
opinionswithoutpriorthought.Rather,itiscrucialthatweinstructandinformourstudentson
topicsofpopulardebate,exposingallsides,andallowingthemtomakeeducateddecisionson
howtheyfeel.Itisnotourjobtoinstillinstudentsourpersonalbeliefs,buttogivethemthe
knowledgeandconfidencetoconstructtheirownframesofreferenceandopinions.

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Whileacademictracking,increasingopportunitiesforextrahelp,andbetterresearch
hopetocurbtheoccurrenceofloweducationqualityamongstminorities,therearestill
monumentalgapsthatmustbeovercome.Thelamentablerealityisthatmanyteachersallow
culturalstereotypestocloudtheirvision,andinturnthisnegativelyaffectsstudents.Manytimes
teacherswillsimplifyordumbdownmaterialforstudentsthattheyfeelaregoingtohave
difficultywithassignments.Doubt,inmyopinion,isthenumberoneenemyfortheminority
student.WhatIhopetoaccomplish,bothinmyclassroomandbeyond,istoproviderelevant
andpurposefuleducationallessonsforallstudents.Studentsarewillingtoinvestmoredeeply
inschoolingiftheyreconvincedthatwhattheyrelearningwillpositivelyaffecttheirlives.
(Irizarry,2015,p.69)IfIamabletoconnectlessonsandknowledgetotheireveryday,outside
reality,thentheyaremorelikelytoenjoyclassandretainsaidinformation.WhileIamabig
believerindataanditsabilitytoaidinbetteringeducation,itisnotthedefinitivesourceof
informationwhendevelopingthebestcourseofactionforstudents.Infact,manyLatino
studentsbelievethatacademictrackingisavehicletoreinforcemarginalizationandlimit
opportunities.(Irizarry)Ibelievethebestwaytoconstructlessonsthatmystudentsdeem
worthwhileistomakeconnectionstorealworldtopics,allowforappropriateandvalid
discussion,andtomakesurethatstudentsarecomprehendingthebigpicturerepercussionsof
geographicinformation.
Countlessfilmshavebeencreatedoutliningthefictionallivesofoutstandingteachers.
IdbehardpressedtofindaneducatorthatdidntthinktheycouldbeJohnKeatingfrom
Dead
PoetsSociety
,orThackerayfrom
ToSir,withLove,
orSr.Escalantein
StandandDeliver
.Of
course,itisimportanttorememberthatmanyoftheseteacherswerefictitiousandtheirideals

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andteachingswouldbedifficulttoadapttoourcurrentreality.However,alloftheseteachers
hadoneuniversaltraitincommon:theywerethechampionsoftheirstudents.Nomatterhow
badthesituationseemedforeithertheeducatorortheeducatee,itneverdissuadedtheteachers
willtostandbyhisorherstudents.Ithinkthatagreatdealofthestudentswillingnessto
continuewiththeirteacheristhattheyhadagenuineandlikeableconnection.RitaPierson,an
educatorforover40years,saidthat,Kidsdontlearnfrompeopletheydontlike.(2013)We,
asteachers,areinauniquepositionwhereourjobanditseffectivenesscanbepositivelyaffected
byourstudentsattitudetowardsus.Thatiswhyitiscrucialtobeachampionforourstudents.
Yes,wehavealessonplanandasumofknowledgetopasson,butwecannotforgetaboutthe
littleactionsthatcanraiseastudentsselfesteem.Piersondiscusseshowpowerfulitcanbeto
admityourwrongdoingtoyourstudentstoallowyourselftobehumaninfrontofthem.Ifwe
canbreakdowntheinvisiblewallthatkeepsstudentsandteachersfromacommongoal,thenwe
canalsoremoveallthebaggageandnegativitythatgoesalongwithit.IsincerelydoubtIwill
everbeasreveredasRobertaGuaspariorLouAnneJohnson,butIintendtomakealastingand
meaningfulconnectionwithallofmystudents.

AbsolutelyNots
Asaneducator,Irefusetoacceptthatsomestudentsareincapableoflearning.Itisnot
aninherenttrait,butratheraproductofexternalstimuliimposeduponthestudent.Nietostated
thatafailuretolearndoesnotdevelopoutofthinairitisscrupulouslycreatedthroughpolicies,
attitudes,andbeliefs.(p.53)Therearestudentswhoareeithersofrustratedduetoalackof
comprehensionorwhosufferrepeatedabusefromdoubtfulinterlopers,butitiscrucialthatwe

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notallowthenaysayerstohavealastingeffect.Ifweallowourselvestogiveintothe
negativity,weareconfirmingthestudentsworstfears:thatheorsheisafailure.Byutilizing
equal,notidentical,educationalpracticeswecanprovideamorethoroughandeffectivebrandof
knowledgetothestudentbody.
Withourincreasingdutytoincorporatemulticulturalismintocourses,itisimperativethat
wegoavoidthefood,festivals,heroes,andholidaysbrandofmulticulturaleducation.
(Holladay,2013)Iwillnotallowmystudentstomerelyskimthesurfaceofanentirewayof
life.Toooftenourmethodofhighlightingotherculturesisbysinglingoutcertainpopular
aspectsthatareabletobefilteredintomainstreamideology.Popularcelebrationsinvolving
ethnicfood,orrecognizingsingularindividualswithinaculturearecommonplaceinthe
educationalworld.Theissuewithemphasizingonlythesecharacteristicsofcultureisthatitcan
reinforcestereotypesandtrivializethingsthatarequiteimportant.(Holladay)Ibelievewe
shouldavoidsinglingoutstudentsfortheirspecific,culturaltraits,andtrytotactfullyintegrate
thoseattributesintoourlessonsnaturally.
Whiletheclipsfrom
Dateline
certainlyinspiredmetoencouragemystudentsactivism,
italsoshowedmethedangersofallowingtoomuchleewayregardingnegativespeech.I
understandthatthepurposeoftheshowwastoallowthestudentstosayhurtfulthings,however
ifthatdiscussionhadbeentakingplaceinmyclassroomIwoulddefinitelytakeactiontostopit.
WhenteachingsubjectslikeGeographyorPoliticalScience,wherepopularandcurrenttopics
areoftenaddressed,itisincrediblyimportanttomaintainasenseofdecoruminyourclassroom.
Discussingtopicslikeimmigrationpolicy,legalizationofmarijuana,orawomansrightto
choosecanmakearoomincrediblyheated,veryquickly,anditisimperativethatstudents

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maintainrespectfortheirfellowstudents.Iwouldstate,upfront,thatalthoughitisimportantfor
studentstofeelwelcometospeaktheirminds,theymustrememberthatweareinschool.
Anythingsaidthatcanbehurtfultoanotherindividualisnotallowed,neitherisitokaytouse
prejudicialorobscenelanguage.
Thesourcesofminoritystudentsnumberoneenemy,doubt,arethepresupposed
stereotypesconnectedtotheircultural,racial,andsocialidentities.Iwillnotallowmyselfto
perceiveorpresumeunderachievementbasedsolelyonphysicalandculturalstereotypes.An
exampleofthisisthestillprominentbeliefthateducationisnotasimportanttoLatinostudents
andtheirfamilies,andthattheirculturalvaluesconflictwiththetraitsthatleadtoacademic
success.(Irizarry,p.67)ApossiblesourceofthisshallowviewisthatmanyLatinofamiliesare
reluctanttosendtheirchildrentoPreKcourses.Quitefrankly,Iwouldbehesitanttosendmy
childtoaninstitutionearlyifIfeltthatitsvaluesareapatheticorindifferenttomypersonal
culture.Whatreallyneedstooccurisforour(themajority)perceptionofdifferentculturesto
change.WhendiscussingculturewithaLatinostudent,Irizarryfoundthatthestudentsawher
cultureasmorefluidandmultidimensionalthantheschooldid.(p.67)Justbecausethisstudent
wasLatina,doesntmeanthatshecanbeintothatdefinitivebox.Byallowingourselvestotake
studentsandcategorizeandthensubcategorizethemintominutefactions,weareonlygiving
powertonegativestereotypes.Asthewhitepopulationslowlybecomesmoreandmorecloserto
theminority,itisimperativethatwefactorinthedifferingculturesofincreasingpopulations.
Nomatterthesituation,Irefusetotakeawayastudentssenseofhumanity.Iunderstand
thatthissoundsratherintenseandsomewhatludicrous,buteverymomentthatastudentis
maliciouslydoubtedtheyfeelalittlelesshuman.Thisdoubtcantaketheshapeofstereotypes,

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putdowns,mishandledcriticism,andalackofrespecttowardsthestudent.Inthewakeofthe
numeroustragediesinvolvingyoung,blackAmericansandthepolice,itismoreimportantthan
everthatweseetheworthofhumanlifeandtofosteragreatersenseofhumanity.Noonecan
beauthenticallyhumanwhilehepreventsothersfrombeingso.(Freire)WhatPauloFreire
statesishowwemustmaintainhumanityinthelivesofoppressedstudents.Hewarnsofthe
possiblefatalisticattitudethatcanresultwhenanoppressedstudentistreatedinasubhuman
manner.Thefactofthematteristhatsomestudentswillalwaysbevieweddifferentlythan
others,whetheritisduetothecoloroftheirskin,theirsexualidentity,ortheirnationoforigin.
Alreadythesestudentsarefacedwithchallengesthatshouldntexistinthelifeofachild.They
mustbattle,onadailybasis,tobeseenasanequaltothemajority.IwilldoeverythingIcanto
fosterasenseofpurposeandacceptanceinthelivesofmystudents.ClintSmith(2015)
brilliantlydeclaresinhisTEDTalk:
Irefusetoacceptthatwecantbuildthisworldintosomethingnew,someplacewherea
childsnamedoesnthavetobewrittenonatshirt,oratombstone,wherethevalueof
someoneslifeisntdeterminedbyanythingotherthanthefactthattheyhadlungs,a
placewhereeverysingleoneofuscanbreathe.

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References
[Minecraft157].(2012,September,14).
NBCDatelineMyKidWouldNeverDoThat
DiscriminationParts16.
[Videofiles].Retrievedfrom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vViwk9lu6OA

[TED].(2013,May,3).
RitaPierson:Everykidneedsachampion
[Videofile].Retrievedfrom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFnMTHhKdkw

[TED].(2015,April,23).
ClintSmith:HowtoraiseablacksoninAmerica
[Videofile].
Retrievedfrom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us70DN2XSfM

[TEDxTalks].(2013,March,23).
MulticulturalismintheModernWorld:JenHolladayat
TEDxDenverTeachers
[Videofile].Retrievedfrom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5rKgDOs33U

Freire,P.(2000).Dialogics.In
Pedagogyoftheoppressed
(30thanniversaryed.).NewYork,
NewYork:Continuum

Irizarry,J.(2015).Whatlatinostudentswantfromschool.
EducationalLeadership:Culturally
DiverseClassrooms,72
(6),6671.RetrievedJuly3,2015

Nieto,S.(1999).
Thelightintheireyes:Creatingmulticulturallearningcommunities
.New
York:TeachersCollegePress