Ethnic Racial Identity

There are many ways we can reduce prejudice in a classroom and it’s important that we do that because it’s important that all students of different cultures are comfortable being in a class when getting their education. Three ideas for reducing prejudice in a classroom will be creating an inclusive environment, educate students about how prejudice is wrong, and teach students about different cultures. When it comes to creating an inclusive environment, the teacher must make sure she makes the environment of the class comfortable for students to be themselves. Teachers should make sure that classroom posters, pictures, books, music, toys, dolls, and other materials are diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, age, family situations, disabilities, and so on (“Understanding Prejudice”, 2002). In a classroom, a teacher should creative her

2. “Including ethnic and cultural diversity content in the curriculum” Seek out and use only factually based information on different cultural traits. “This is needed to make schooling more interesting and stimulating for, representative of, and responsive to ethnically diverse students,” and this is a teacher’s ultimate goal in being culturally

Public schools are beginning to see a shift in demographics in the United States. There is now a culturally diverse student population and educators need to respond to this shift in order to ensure an equal education for all students. Culture aids in determining how students learn, and culturally responsive teaching is a way teachers can educate culturally diverse students and provide an equal education for all. Culturally responsive teaching is defined by Geneva Gay as using the various characteristics, perspectives, and experiences of many cultures to effectively teach culturally diverse students (2000). Culturally responsive teaching prepares teachers to work with and teach a culturally diverse classroom of students and allows teachers to create a classroom environment that is similar to their students’ home environments so students do not have to assimilate to the dominant culture or change from their home culture to their school culture depending on their setting (Brown). Multicultural education is not only important for ensuring equal education for all students, but also creates youth who will be able to function and be effective citizens in a pluralistic society (Gay 2003). In order to implement culturally responsive teaching, teachers must acknowledge potential biases and reconstruct their attitudes, create a diverse knowledge base, be caring and empowering, and create a classroom environment that is conducive to a culturally diverse

The beauty of society is not two persons are identical, we are all diverse and we need to celebrate differences. Race and ethnicity shape the way we see ourselves and are integral to creating outlooks on society. Ethnicity has a considerable effect on our identity and makes us who we are, and we need to learn to embrace it. The topic of embracing ethnic identity is very well defined by Jaswinder Bolina in, “Writing Like a White Guy” and by Gloria Anzaldua in “How to Tame a Wild Tongue.” Even though many immigrate to America one should not forget where they come from, being true to oneself and acknowledging that ethnicity plays an important role for many people in defining their cultural background and race.

In order to implement this into my future class I first need to recognize the variety of individual culture, gender, background, socioeconomic status, learning style, developmental stage and other factors of students, families and colleagues. Establishing that my classroom is a safe zone and a place where differences are celebrated and embraced will help me create an environment where everyone’s diversities are respected.

Most of the students in my culturally diverse school enter my classroom with wisdom and knowledge from their home experiences that can be used to expand their learning even further. The positivity from the learning in my classroom are exponentially greater when my students feel the appreciation and respect that I have for the rich cultural value that their family contributes to the ever-growing educational environment. I believe that young children learn best in a relational, interactive mode rather than focusing on the simple rote instruction.

4-5). A culturally responsive classroom opens up the world of teaching. It is important for students and teachers to learn about the values, norms, and customs of different cultures. The United States is a melting pot is it vital to learning about diversity. Teachers have to participate in reforming of the curriculum to establish culture standards and values (Kozleski, p. 5).

Daily, people in America are categorized by their physical characteristics, lumped together as one group, and labelled with a “race.” Most assume that race and ethnicity have virtually the same definition and use the two terms interchangeably; however, ethnicity and race are two extremely diverse concepts that are frequently misconstrued by the general public. Race is the idea that people who look similar share similar backgrounds; however, genetically, this is not always the case. More accurately, ethnicity acknowledges both where a person comes from and their beliefs, practices, and cultural aspects (INSERT book CITATION).

My racial identity and ethnic identity are tied to my everyday experiences as an African American. I identify as African American or black because it’s my culture. I born by two black parents and grew up in a black household. Although I was often told by my parents that I’m black, I would say that the term “Black” was given to me before I even entered the world. The term “Black” was given to Africans by Europeans when they took us as slaves to the Americas. Ever since then, the one drop rule applied to anyone with African heritage in the United States. In “What White Supremacist taught a Jewish Scholar About Identity” by Abby L. Ferber, she proves that race is a social construct. While researching the readings of white

Educators in today’s school systems are encouraged to incorporate various aspects of cultural diversity into daily classroom routines and lesson content in order to develop students respect for various cultures within their community. The article reviewed, Promoting Respect for Cultural Diversity in the Classroom, written by Matthew Lynch, discusses the need for educators to encourage as well as promote respect for various cultures within the classroom that students may encounter or associate with. Additionally, educators must educate students on the importance of their own culture or heritage, as well as on the importance of cultures their peers or individuals have within the community.

No matter the grade level, discussing and acknowledging diversity can be one of the most beneficial experiences a student has within the classroom. Not only does it force them to address who they are as individuals, but it also brings forth curiosity for education based topics such as history and literature. However, when speaking with a classroom (especially a classroom of young students), diverse subject matter requires a careful and thoughtful approach. Examples of this approach, as well as proper facilitation, are both outlined by Barbra C. Cruz in her article, The Problem We Still Live With (2015).

No one can deny the fact that United States is rapidly becoming a more culturally and ethnically diverse nation. If the information from The Census Bureau which projects that by the year 2100, the U.S. minority population will become the majority with non-Hispanic whites making up only 40% of the U.S. population is anything to go by, it is clear beyond any reasonable doubt that we need to prepare the coming generations to comfortably embrace this change (Great Schools Staff, 2015). The subject of social diversity can therefore no longer be ignored since as a matter of fact, its impacts are already here with us. Public schools are becoming more diverse, and both the teachers and the students are feeling the impact. Teachers should therefore be actively involved in preparing their students to be tolerant to this change and teaching them how to interact in a diverse environment.

Diversity in the classroom can come in many forms, these include but are not limited to differences in language, culture, social status, religion, and learning styles. As educators, it will be our job to make sure that we are able to support our diverse students in their learning, and it is also essential that we make our classroom a place where diversity is accepted and all students feel safe engaging in the learning. Not all students that we encounter will have been exposed to diversity and it is our job to help them recognize that underneath all the differences, there are so many important similarities. The best way to do this according to Matthew Lynch “is to provide students with ample evidence that people that don’t look like them are, at the core, people just like them. Such a viewpoint can be taught by promoting a culture of learning from one another rather than a culture of passing judgment on differences in values and beliefs” (2012). By teaching our students to embrace diversity, we are creating an environment where all our students can thrive.

Once students and teachers are aware of cultural differences, they become aware of racism and can fight to eradiate it. Through their unbiased understanding of the differences between cultures and races, they are able to come to a point of acceptance of themselves and others. If you noticed in my previous paragraph, I mentioned the different types of diversity. Diversity emphasizes how different students and teachers are, but when explored in a classroom, can be used to reveal our similarities. Once students and teachers grasp the concept of diversity, displayed through everyday interactions with diverse groups of students and teachers, racism begins to disappear. In addition, positive sense of self can be developed once students and teachers have an understanding of their own uniqueness through experiences and understanding of diversity. Once teachers and students

To solve this identity crisis, I believe all ethnic groups should stick to their roots and embrace their unique culture to create a “mosaic” society. Similar to a mosaic that uses many different colored glasses to create a beautiful piece of art, people should value and appreciate their differences from others. Instead of being submissive and following American societal norms, cultures should strive to build cultural, political, social, and economic communities that appreciate and emphasize the richness of their own individual cultures and realize that trying to educate racist people is not the best use of our energy. As a result, everyone can come together to create a unified “mosaic.”