Celebrating the world

As an ESL teacher it is easy for my lessons to reflect the diversity of my class and world. My lessons reflect standards that focus on reading, writing, speaking and listening which are easily adapted to include multicultural activities. It is important that my class celebrates diversity and creates a safe space for students to talk about their cultures as well as the cultures of the host culture we are in. At various times I have taught students from different countries (Russian, Israeli, Latvian, German) in a school culture (American) that differs from the host country culture (Estonia). On any given class period we would discuss American traditions as well as Estonian and Russian. It is important for students to experience learning from multiple perspectives and multiple cultures. A lesson about describing connections can be taught about comparing and contrasting key characters from a texts. This lesson teaches about multiple perspectives (highlighting two different perspectives and cultural variations on Goldylocks and the three bears as well as two different perspectives and cultural variations on Mary had a little lamb). In the lesson students can compare Goldy Luck, a Chinese girl  and her interactions with the three pandas to Goldilocks a (probably) Hungarian girl and her interactions with the three bears (Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim, Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Jan Brett )

Through a curriculum that is text rich we were able to celebrate the world in our classroom. Our discussion can thus range from foods of the world, to artwork to culture clothing. Weaving in American culture is important also because so much of culture is woven together with language. As the students learn American English they learn about American customs, traditions and holidays. Teaching overseas in an ESL classroom with a diverse student body lends itself easily to a multicultural perspective. However, when teaching ESL in the USA it is key for newcomers to learn about American culture while still valuing, respecting and giving teaching time to their own culture. I want to be a classroom that provides acculturation (where their cultural identity is fostered alongside a new culture)  not assimilation (where their own cultural identity is lost) I have always felt that when people can see how they are more alike than different it helps to shrink the cultural gap. Many children I have taught were exposed to hate and taught cultural superiority or inferiority by the adults in their lives. I see it as my job as a teacher to be the other voice in their head, celebrating the similarities and honoring uniqueness of other cultures.  

I will be able to see that my students are developing cultural competence when they are able to include and welcome students from different cultures. This will be be evident by my students choosing books from around the world and asking big questions about multicultural issues. However, it will also be evident when my students choose to be partners with not just their friends but with the new kid.