Blog Entry #4 "Curriculum and Diversity"

I would say that the experiences during my years of schooling have significantly impacted not only many of my views but also developed me into who I am. During my elementary education years there was a strong push on the arts, athletics, and socialization. This of course was above and beyond the core curriculum of Math, Science, and English/Writing. The focus on arts, and athletics seemed to an avenue to increasing socialization skills by providing students with feelings of acceptance by belonging to clubs or teams. The curriculum was in some ways multicultural as the discussions in English included origins of words, math was the universal language, science was primarily European, and history depended upon the subject matter but was almost always presented from multiple angles. In my elementary school the diversity was within individuals not in race, by this I mean that it was an all white school so diversity came in the forms of disabilities, religion, and personalities. We were taught that people have differences none of us are exactly the same and this is what makes our country unique.
My high school education was a unique experience in its self as I attended a private military school. The curriculum was more of a controlling factor, as the emphasis was on academics and grades. Four years of Math, Science, English, and History were required along with two years of a foreign language and then two years in Engineering, Drafting, or Art History. The school make up was drastically diverse, to include non English speaking students. The school had two-hundred students from grades seven through twelve and made up of Black and White American, Black and White African, Hispanic, Middle Eastern, Asian, Russian, and European students. Academics were not taught at any differently for any one individual, however History and English were evaluated from many different view points and readings in English were vary diverse.
There were never any classes on how to socialize with various cultures, the curiosity of children prevailed and socialization and friendship flourished. I would have to side with the article “Multiculturalism in School Curriculum” and say that the curriculum its self does not need to change but rather the method of teaching. I would also agree that some text books need to be altered to reflect a more adequate view of history, language, and scientific origin. Upon reading the first article “Organizers See 'New Civil Rights Movement' in Immigration Protests” I was struck with the notion that our nation is making the jobs of integration and teaching multiculturalism increasingly difficult. While teachers are trying to educate students on the importance of diversity and incorporating the greatness of the U.S. melting pot our government is wanting to close the borders, has Americans afraid of terrorist attacks, and addresses concerns with China, North Korea, Pakistan, Iraq, and Iran in the news on a daily basis. How are children expected to learn acceptance, tolerance, and enjoy the beauty of multiculturalism while our government and media driven society is teaching them the opposite.