nce upon a time, I believed that all people were equal. I believed that if everyone worked hard enough, everyone could achieve his/her dreams regardless of his/her race, gender, class, or sexuality. Like many others, “I had a dream” of what the ideal America was.
However, just like the many fairy tales we believe as children, that’s just not the case. Many studies we have referenced point to the fact that there are some people that are born into privilege and others born into disadvantage (due to no merit or choice of their own). As educators, we must be aware that educational opportunities are not equally accessible to all. It is part of our jobs to fight in our classrooms, schools, and communities for social equality. We are not just educators, but also role-models, mentors, social activists (veritable heroes of equality)!
That being said, we are bound to encounter challenges, obstacles that hinder our efforts to be multiculturalists. These can come from anywhere, i.e. other teachers, administrators, parents, or community members. Although there will be no shortage of challenges you might face, the diagram below shows some of the most common ones.
There will always be obstacles, but take heart! You’re doing the right thing. Equal educational opportunities are a fight worth fighting. Here are some suggestions to mitigate those issues:
Suggestion #1:
Nieto says, “Because racism and other biases are generally hushed up or avoided in schools, they can become uncomfortable topics of conversation. Directly confronting racism and discrimination can be a healthy and caring way to address these difficult issues” (Nieto, 2012, p. 75)1.
Suggestion #2:
As Banks says, “groups are composed of individuals with their own unique characteristics who may be both similar to and different from those in both their in-group and in out-groups, which should help undercut the tendency to stereotype and to see group membership as defining an individual’s characteristics” (Banks, 2014, p. 288)2.
Suggestion #3:
People like to hear success stories and to emulate them. When you are being a successful, multicultural educators, others will follow suit. Riley and Ungerleider remark, “what teachers reported as useful was having the opportunity to see other teachers achieving positive results with students perceived as being ‘low-achieving’. Teachers reported that having the opportunity to see teachers obtaining higher-quality responses from students originally perceived as low-achievers reaffirmed their commitment” (Riley and Ungerleider, 2012, p. 319)5.
Suggestion #4:
“‘That offends me.’ ‘I don’t find that funny.’ ‘I’m surprised to hear you say that.’ These phrases allow you to speak up against bias in a simple, straightforward manner. Sometimes they may open a dialogue. Other times, they simply allow you to challenge bias and take a vocal stand against it” (Teaching Tolerance, 2012, p. 8)7.
Suggestion # 5:
“ Galaviz, [a] fifth-grade teacher, also serves as an adjunct faculty member at Boise State University. One of her students, preparing to begin student teaching, said to Galaviz, “You can tell kids whose families don’t have an education.” As it turns out, Galaviz, who has multiple degrees and solid educational credentials, grew up in a lower-middle class family, the daughter of parents who had to drop out of school to begin working. She didn’t immediately challenge her student’s comment. Instead, she said, “Tell me more. Tell me what you mean by that” (Teaching Tolerance, 2012, p. 19-20)7.
Suggestion # 6:
It’s common knowledge that we can accomplish far more when we are focused. Decide on your central ideas, and when hardship arises, remind yourself of those ideas. What is the value in what you are doing? What is it all for?
And they all lived happily ever after. Or rather, that’s the goal. Regardless of the conflicts you face, remember that we are all people who are prone to forming biases and stereotypes based on our life experience. You as a multicultural educator had your own biases and misconceptions. When you encounter a parent, teacher, or colleague with an opposing viewpoint, instead of creating an adversarial position, establish a position of respect and free dialogue to guide them.
References
Banks, J. (2014). An Introduction to multicultural education. Boston: Pearson.
Darling-Hammond, L. (2010). The flat world and education: How America's commitment to equity
will determine our future. New York: Teachers College Press.
Greenberg, J. (2004). Diversity in the Workplace: Benefits, Challenges and Solutions.
Ladson-Billings, G. (1995). But that’s just good teaching: The case for culturally relevant
pedagogy. Theory Into Practice, 34(3), 159-65.
Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2012). Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural
education. New York: Longman.
Riley, T., & Ungerleider, C. (2012). Self-‐Fulfilling Prophecy: How Teachers'
Attributions, Expectations, and Stereotypes Influence the Learning Opportunities
Afforded Aboriginal Students. Canadian Journal of Education, 35, 2, 303-‐333.
Teaching Tolerance (2012). Speaking up at school: How to respond to everyday prejudice, bias, &
stereotypes. Montgomery, AL: Southern Poverty Law Center. Retrieved from
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