Reflection and Reaction

I saved this part of the portfolio for last because it serves as a summary, a dessert, and is alphabetically in order! This class has been the “icing on the cake.” It covers the multi-layers of my experience teaching EFL, ESL, English, and German with a rich dressing of theory, effective teaching, practical application, and classroom interaction. I had not even heard of Multicultural Education before this program, nor had I realized there was an organization to promote the practice, the National Association of Multicultural Education, to which I now belong!

The course has introduced me to several experts in the field besides our authors, and in supplementary research, I have been led to read other authors including Paolo Freire, bell hooks, and Donaldo Macedo among others, who are proponents of critical pedagogy, another area of interest to me. I have been able to vicariously share in the public school experience through the observations of my classmates. The practical knowledge I have gained throughout my teaching career has been supplemented with detailed explorations of history, language, and culture of several groups over the semester in article presentations along with the cultural explorations.

The literature circles were a welcome addition to practice a method that we can implement in our own classrooms. “Theory into practice” is becoming my new mantra.

The literature excerpts were also a delight. I could read my life away if given the basic needs to survive. The bonus for these excerpts was the description of other cultures, which helps us develop our own ethnic awareness (Sleeter, 1993).

Mostly I appreciated the overall class structure, one that I plan to adopt with some modifications due to level of instruction next semester for CIED 3263. You created an atmosphere of trust and respect, which freed us students to fully participate with enthusiasm, passion, and courage. I liked writing a reflection about what I had read because it gave me a chance to pen what connections I found to my prior knowledge and experience and to ponder new ideas and theories. I am still not sure how I relate to MCE. I tried to be a dispassionate observer at the NAME conference as a first-year participant. What I have realized this semester through conversations with Novice Teacher, my own students during their field experiences, and through reading about the observations of my classmates is that racism still exists and that there is overt and covert resistance to difference.

My experience as an ESL teacher in a university has been very sheltered, and although I recognized that my students encountered prejudice outside the IEP program, it was subtle and occasional. Having more exposure to the compulsory, public K-12 system, I find resistance at every level of instruction and administration. It worries me, frankly, at a societal level. I fear that if public education does not accept diversity and difference as a positive aspect in a pluralistic society and take the lead in responding in an equitable and democratic approach, our nation will suffer. I concur with Sleeter that avoiding this would be divisive (1993).

I would recommend this class to any student who aspires to teach at any level of instruction in our education system, public and private, K-12 through post-secondary. It supports Young’s reasons for teaching multiculturalism. We learn as much about ourselves as we do about others.

*This is the next step toward THE One World Language.
Step Six: *Your lesson plan on remote control.