Cultural Pluralism

Think about your own experiences in schools. In what ways were the curriculum, policies and structure of your school used as a means of social control?

An excellent system in which I have seen curriculum, policies, and school structure impact the social control of a school, was at my own high school. I attended an Alternative High School that was an amazing place to learn. In many ways the teachers designed the curriculum to be student-driven and teacher facilitating. The school operated on a block schedule, offering more credits per year. The school had an off campus lunch for students, and the whole school treated each other as a family. Because of these policies that made students accountable, and the teachers that empowered the students to learn, it changed my view of education at the most crucial point of my life. This school is a perfect example of how certain factors can change the social control of the school. Everyone knows that an Alternative School could have a horrible atmosphere, but I know that it can also be completely different.

New Immigration Ads Stir the Melting Pot

Wow. Well this article certainly stirs up some fire in a lot of people no matter which side of the issue you stand on. Something that I have noticed about people when speaking about US immigration is that they are usually set in their beliefs, and are not very open to anything else. How does this relate to education though? A perfect example of this was presented in a class we had at MTSU. Our class had a guest speaker, Marisela Topia, who discussed teaching children of Hispanic descent. One topic that Mrs. Topia discussed was the fact that children of illegal immigrant parents cannot receive in-state tuition within Tennessee and cannot receive any scholarships. After class several students had a discussion, where several stated their opinions regarding the tuition and scholarships. One woman stated that she thought it was bad enough that they were here illegally and that they definitely should not be able to receive the same privileges that American children are afforded.

I know that this is a touchy subject, and I also know that most people have already decided their beliefs on the issue, however, my position is that I am in education for the kids. I did not go into education for the politics, the money, or anything else other than the kids and trying to make a difference in their lives. So what do I believe about this issue? Simply put, I believe all children of the world should be afforded the same educational opportunity regardless of where they live, what social status they come from, or who their parents are. The parents are a different story, but we should all agree that if the children want to go to college and change their family trees, let make it happen. They will have to make the same grades and pay the difference just as anyone else would, but why not give them a chance. We have plenty of American students that throw away their opportunities that they are afforded just by being born in this country; why not let another child who is willing to put in the work and truly appreciate the opportunity have a shot.


Multiculturalism in School Curriculum

My thoughts regarding this issue about multiculturalism in school curriculum would be pretty consistent with Adam Waxler. I also believe that US History can be taught from the traditional textbooks, but the students should also be taught to question and form their own beliefs and opinions about what they read. I totally agree with Adam Waxler’s statement, “Arguing and judging are at the highest level of Bloom’s taxonomy and by having students make arguments and back up those arguments, whether you as the teacher agree with them or not, is how students will retain information.”

Toward a Centrist Curriculum

I agree with this article in some ways. I especially find the following statement very true in regard to what I am seeing in public schools today.
“In order to get a good job a young person must be able to communicate in speech and writing in the standard language and allusion- system of the marketplace. Since this system of intellectual currency is in broad use by millions of adults, it is a highly stable system that is slow to change. Hence, in order not to penalize students, schools must include as part of the curriculum the system of language and allusion that is currently in place. In regard to the two kinds of Multiculturalism, I do believe in holding a kind of dual citizenship, being part of both one's particular ethnos and the larger cosmopolis. My husband moved to the US from Thailand when he was 14 years old. He knows firsthand the importance of holding on to one’s culture and also becoming a part of the new. I really do not think that we should have to choose one or the other.