Multicultural education – Term Paper

Multicultural education sample essay

Studying at LFNY presented an opportunity for interacting with a wide variety of diverse cultures. In essence, there were students from variant Francophone countries, as well as Americans. In Middle and High Schools, there were frequent meetings with other students from other French schools. However, there were challenges as there were language barriers and ineffective communication among some students, especially native American and native French. For this reason, this provided evidence that there was a leadership problem in the institutions, as curriculum and pedagogy had not been effectively administered in some of the schools. Therefore, communication problems and challenges in cultural interaction were inevitable.

Other changes that have been enacted include annual fund support, which supports scholarships, field trips, cultural centers and artists in residence programming, as well as faculty support and programming. However, the funds do not meet the needs of the poor individuals in the society. Also, there is a lack of involvement of the community in allowing interaction between the student from Francophone countries and the locals while some of the students lack adequate funds. For this reason, both the American and U.S. government should intervene. It is important to note that, just as the NCLB policies adopted by the U.S. government, there is a lack of power by the communities in setting them up.

Diversity in education essay

As an immigrant, I encountered numerous challenges settling in the new environment. I noticed that the instructors and the student leaders also experienced challenges in trying to manage the diverse crowd with the goal being making the environment suitable for each person. At first we did not understand each other, and in particular, the Native American students who had no prior knowledge of French. It was quite difficult developing a social life by which most people preferred associating with people that spoke the same language as them. The teachers were quite busy in orientating us on the school environment and thus, it was difficult to find the right set of activities to engage us. Adapting to the American culture was also a challenge by which the educational experiences in France and America were different. In addition, the students spoke different languages such that even those that came from Francophone countries found it difficult understanding each other. From a personal perspective, the incorporation of the American curriculum was quite a struggle because of being accustomed to the French curriculum. In addition, most of the classes were boring and did not provide the appropriate skills and pedagogy, which in most cases is very inelastic, formed between American and French cultures

It is worth noting that power balance lacks in urban communities with the view that some individuals perceive themselves to be at higher grounds when compared to others. The imbalance has affected policing whereby it has significantly dropped in the last three decades. My learning experience at the urban school was characterized by mobility and diversity, high levels of deprivation and hence illustrating that there is a disconnection between communities and schools. Also, the teachers never taught about the role of politics in their lives and hence making it difficult to present the role of leadership in such an environment. Weiner (2006) asserts that school leaders should empower the community to find their political voice and that urban educators must be able to incorporate what learners need instead of unnecessary aspects. For this reason, as suggested by Weiner (2006) urban educators should be able to include themselves along with their students in a political discussion on both aspects of policy and practice.

Riley (2013) assert that urban school leaders should go beyond boundaries to make learning accessible and also fun by incorporating what the students like. From a personal perspective, an enquiry approach should be put in place such that students are involved in the formation of the curriculum in regards to their interests. Such an approach makes it possible to identify the learning needs such that the unnecessary elements are removed while focus is put on skill development. In other words, there should be a paradigm shift to allow students to voice in setting the pedagogy and curriculum.

Cultural diversity in education essay

In synopsis, as a student at the middle and high school levels at the LFNY, I did not expect the experience to be difficult, and thus, I found that I was socially and culturally naïve coming from France to a bicultural institution in the U.S. I had limited experience in regards to a multicultural environment, as well as challenges. In essence everything I thought about learning and what I had amassed in France had to be changed to fit into the bicultural society. Nonetheless, the diversity has helped me amass significant diversity skills, and I have found ways to deal with the challenges. I can now interact with people from diverse cultures. It, therefore, is important to lay out some important recommendations. The first recommendation is that school leaders should be able to incorporate their communities, such as parents and students in setting the pedagogy. They need to involve them and consult with each other so that they incorporate a pedagogy that is fulfilling to the students. The government should also participate in setting the various educational policies, while also taking into consideration the expert recommendations from school leaders, as well as the needs of the students. Therefore, urban leaders need to ensure that they act as advocates for communities. Most importantly, urban school leaders should develop skills they need if they are willing to work in a diverse urban school. They also need to listen to the voice of students and be actively involved in the politics of setting policies. School leaders should also be involved in coming up with the right curriculum that is not confined to a single plan, such that it allows the incorporation of suggestions from students. For instance, as Riley (2013) asserts, school leaders should also be able to use resources within the community to enrich what the urban schools have to offer.