Dual Existence between immigrant students and U.S. born students.
Dual existence is a theme you see everywhere in the United States. There can be a separation because of language, ethnicity, religion, gender, special needs, social activities, jobs, income, and the list could go on. This theme is not restricted to the U.S. either. There are other countries that separate populations based on these same issues. It seems to be a part of human nature. Is it the right thing? No, we are supposed to recognize individuals and respect them for who they are. Not everyone follows this and we all have our own biases – no matter race or cultural background.
Teachers can help dissolve the dual existence by helping students learn to respect and work with each other in the classroom. The first goal of a teacher is to create a safe environment where each student feels welcome and accepted. This can be hard to do if the student’s home life and community propagate prejudices and negative feelings toward others. I think this is a school wide issue that needs to be confronted with school unity. Just like we have school wide rules for discipline, there should be school wide cultural acceptance. By inviting the parents to fun and informational class and school activities, we can bring the community together and help form a singular goal – education of their children for a better future.
I was thinking about this when I was recently in a school office. I was observing the atmosphere of the office when I noticed that the pictures on the walls showed white children. The statutes on the floor were of white children. I wondered if the classrooms reflected and honored all the children in the rooms. I went home and reseached the school demographics on the TDOE report card website and learned that the school has a 22% Hispanic and a 25% African American population. Why didn't the school's office reflect this diversity? I didn’t notice how their cultures or ethnicities were even acknowledged there.
Our acknowledgment of others has to be school wide – office, cafeteria, library, classrooms, curriculum, and school activities.
We don’t want our kids living cultures apart. Schools can help teach people to accept one another.
We need to consider it a priority in our classroom and school.
TDOE Report Card Site
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Excellent post! Your post reminded me that I have never had a Hispanic female teacher or professor--not even my Spanish teacher in high school (she was an older Caucasian woman who was very scary!). I too, often wonder what the children who are not represented think they do not see "themselves" in school-related environments.
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