Electronic Newsletter
Understanding and appreciating cultural diversity are essential for every classroom teacher. Students and their families are more concerned about their cultural origin being valued and respected by classroom teachers. Teaching for social justice in a culturally diverse classroom entails treating students equally irrespective of their gender, race, and ethnicity. Social justice also involves the equal and fair distribution of classroom resources such as books to students regardless of their cultural background. Classroom students should understand social justice because it will help them appreciate and embrace other students from different cultures and understand the importance of equity in the distribution of resources. My experience as an employee in a foreign company that does not embrace cultural diversity has dramatically impacted my perceptions and expectations in relating to students and their families. In the company, I was the only employee from a foreign land. I had a great challenge working in the company due to my Christian faith and cultural background, where socializing with people is prioritized. The manager and other employees were Muslims, and socialization in the company was prohibited. Therefore, I faced discrimination because of my faith and cultural origin.
Reflecting on my experience drives me to prefer a different approach to teach social justice. I prefer a method of classroom discussions that help students analytically engage in issues that affect them. For instance, racism in the US has emphasized numerous cases of violence against skin color. The students will explore topics like the George Floyd case or witness racism in their lives. I will allow a classroom discussion where students sit in groups of five to discuss the acts of racism freely in their lives. Through doing so, the students will understand the different experiences that each student has undergone. Also, there will be the issuance of reference materials equally to all the students to help them in the discussion. The below graphics will be essential to my students in understanding the impacts of racism and the importance of social justice.