A Culturally Diverse Classroom Every classroom should offer a feeling of comfort and belonging for the students in it.

In todays diverse world, providing a culturally diverse classroom is essential. The first step in creating a culturally diverse classroom is to understand the cultures and ethnicities of the students. As educators it is important to do a little research into several cultures. As your class changes from one year to another, so will the cultural make-up of your students. In order for students to be successful they need to feel that someone cares whether or not they succeed. Teachers need to encourage all students to perform to their potential regardless of their culture. Creating an atmosphere of tolerance, acceptance, and caring would involve the whole class. When cultural differences cause problems it should be addressed as a group. The children need to be aware that it is okay to be different from others. By bringing the differences out in the open, it will open the minds of those students not yet exposed to cultural differences. The room should be decorated in a way that reflects the various cultures of the students. In an early education setting there should be toys that reflect the various cultures also. For older students, reading materials should be diverse. When celebrating certain holidays it is important to remember that not everyone celebrates the same way. Due to cultural or religious differences, there may be a large variety of the holidays your students celebrate. Each one is important to the students so it should be recognized by the teacher. In my area there is a high percentage of students that are from low socioeconomic homes. I do not believe this should be a factor when learning. However, it often is. In many cases

the students that have low socioeconomic status do not do as well academically as those that have a higher socioeconomic status. This can happen for several reasons and should be addressed. In some cultures, girls are considered inferior to boys. It would be unacceptable if this idea made its way into the classroom. Students need to be treated as equals regardless of gender, cultural background, ethnicity, or religion. I would first try to be role model for my students by exhibiting the same accepting behaviors I would want them to show. In situations involving drugs or abuse, the victims or users are often teased or neglected by their peers. I would try to teach the students that what these victims need is our help and support. By being compassionate and understanding, perhaps we could help the students be successful in both school and life. My personal plan for creating a culturally diverse classroom would include several things. I would decorate the classroom with things from several cultures. I would provide reading materials and activities that reflect many cultures as well. On the first day of school I would encourage the children to help make the classroom rules. One of the rules would include being tolerant. I would have a zero tolerance policy for bullying and discrimination for any reason. I would not expect everyone to perform at the same level. However, I would expect every student to perform to the best of his or her abilities. I would include multi-cultural lessons in my plans often. By understand each other the students may be more accepting and tolerant of each other. I have found that most discrimination against someone is because of ignorance of the other person. Every month I would try to recognize the holidays or celebrations that my students participate in. even if I do not have a student that participates in a particular celebration, I

would try to recognize it. Who is to know if the students will encounter that celebration at a later time? A project that works well for older students is researching other countrys holidays. By assigning each student a different country and having them present their findings to the rest of the class, everyone learns about several different cultures. The presentation could include oral and visual components, as well as a traditional dish from the country the researched. During the month of December, I would create a bulletin board that reflected celebrations from around the world. I would include pictures and brief descriptions from each culture featured. For Christmas as it is generally celebrated in America, I would include pictures of a Christmas tree, gifts, Santa, and turkey and pies prepared for the feast. For Kwanzaa I would include pictures of candles in red, black and green, a list of what each candle represents, gifts, and musical notes. For La Posada I would include pictures of a poinsettia, a manger, gifts, and a piata. For the Asian Spring Festival I would include pictures of gifts and fireworks. For the Middle Eastern celebration I would include pictures of candles, a bonfire and a scarlet cushion. For Hanukkah I would include picture of gifts, a menorah, and a dreidel. For those who do not celebrate any holidays I would include pictures of things like snowmen or coats and gloves because in this area we have snow in the winter. If I had a student from a culture different than one listed I would change the board to accommodate them as well. For each culture represented I would include a brief description including how long the celebration usually lasts, traditional foods, and an estimate of when the celebration began or became tradition.

No matter how well we think we are prepared, there will be conflicts that take us by surprise. All we can hope to do is teach our students to be open minded about the differences in the world. When our students learn to be accepting and tolerant of other cultures and religions perhaps there can be a positive change society also.

References Gollnick, D., & Chinn, P. (2006). Multicultural education in a pluralistic society. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Merrill Prentice Hall.