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Teacher Interview and Classroom Diversity Observations

Ana Gonzalez

College of Southern Nevada

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I had to visit Green Valley High School in order for me to interview my teacher, Melinda

Stender, who is a Fine Arts teacher for that school. Taking in consideration that it’s art taught in

her classroom, it is a little bit different than a regular classroom, this one has five big tables, kind

of in the center of the classroom, where eight students sit around each one of those tables. She

finds important the usage of the space, because her main idea is to make enough room for

themselves. Having the tables distributed that way in the classroom allow enough room in it for

the other cupboards and cubies where all the material for projects is at. Ms. Stender thinks that

putting supplies and things that students will need for projects, handy or easy to find is better for

their development. Her classroom’s walls are practically poster boards where she exhibits a lot

of, if not all, the students' art work. They have also posted rules and schedules for the classes.

This class in particular is a Junior multicultural class. I was able to see 16 to 17 year old people

that most of them were hispanic or latino descendants, like 5 white and 2 african american, I did

not see any student with special needs. According to the data posted in the High School website,

it shows that the whole population in the school is 3,098 students, from which the 57% are

minorities and 39% economically disadvantaged. Based on the numbers they provided in this

website, I concluded that it is important to notice that the “debate between the assimilationists

and multiculturalists is real” (An Introduction to multicultural Education, p. 72). It is imperative

to “identify types of knowledge that reflect specific values, assumptions, perspectives, and
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ideological positions” (An Introduction to Multicultural Education, p72) so we all can interpret

our past and future, thus being able to identify ourselves and our roles within our society and

therefore in the world.

With that being said, the question How does school benefit from integrating multicultural

education into the classroom? It is already answered, but Ms. Stender added “The students soon

see how the world is, they become more aware of cultural differences and similarities and about

other opportunities as well.''

Ms. Stender’s have had the opportunity to acquire a lot of experience working with people

whose backgrounds have been different from her own, because she has done a lot of teaching in

the schools around Downtown, where there is an 80% of Latino population, 15% African

American and 5% White in most of those schools. Therefore she had to learn since then, “ that

her teaching strategies needed to be adjusted to a more multicultural one, to capture the students'

interest better, so she gives more examples of artwork from other countries”, that in some ways

students can identify themselves with those examples. In other words diversity has played a big

role in shaping her teaching style because “Diversity makes Art more interesting.” Even in some

cases, she integrates cultural activities in her lesson plans. For example: “The Days of the Dead”

it is a very traditional holiday in Mexico, Mexicans celebrate their dead family members by

putting “ofrendas, which it means food and favorite articles or objects of their dead family

members, and the living members believe that by praying for those dead family members, they
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will rest in peace.” Having that example, Ms. Stender pulls in other country’s social issues and

talks about them, in comparison with her country’s.

Question 1.- Can the widening gap between the rich and the poor be visualized in the student’s

performance?

We had talked about multicultural issues a lot , but I found it important to talk about the gap

between advantage students and the ones not. I was curious to know if that issue can be

visualized in the student performance. Ms Stender said “ a little bit. Sometimes I think it has to

do with parenting. The least advantaged students normally are distracted or worried about mom

or dad working two or three jobs, and the fact that parents have two or three jobs means the lack

of support for those students, sometimes that situation contributes a lot for the student to miss

school.

After listening to those circumstances I gotta ask, 2,-what the school and teachers do to help the

disadvantaged?, Ms. Stender without hesitation said, “reaching out, we got to know if there

Is a way to help out. Besides the school has a mentoring program for those who accept the

help.” Then I thought about how difficult might it get to be able to teach in a way that you have

no child left behind, so 3.- What can be the most challenging issues when it comes to integrate

multicultural activities that she has faced? to what she responded, “that usually there is not a

problem, but it is difficult to get to the students who have not been exposed to multiculturalism,

in that case, she added, you give norms and expectations of what you are trying to teach.”
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I also thought that as a teacher following the same pattern or the same educational system for

years, it must have been difficult for teachers to adjust to the new educational system, so I asked

4,- Has it been difficult as a teacher to adjust to the new multicultural reform? but she told me

something very interesting, “It has not been difficult for me because I am okay with it, other

teachers have had difficulty embracing cultural diversity that much.

Then I remembered what the book said about “A nation whose citizens cannot negotiate on

the world’s multicultural global stage, are tremendously disadvantaged” and I wanted to know

what she would think about that statement. 5.- What is your opinion or position about what it has

been said that “A Nation whose citizens cannot negotiate on the world’s multicultural global

stage are tremendously disadvantaged? She answered “yes,'' it is important to recognize the type

of world we are living in, if we don’t, then “it is not as great as it could be.

Then I summarized everything in my head, recognizing that there is only one world, the same

one we all are sharing with each other , so it is important to recognize the presence of every and

all the countries, including their people, that make this world our world, with all the differences

and as diverse as it is, like Ms Stender said, “ to make it a great one.”