Diversities
- Socioeconomic Status: (S.E.S.) Is the ranking in social and economic hierarchy. So this means that we all have a place in society in a hierarchical level. School are one way to sort society into categories, the ones that will succeed and the other who do not. We all come into schools the same, but we all come out differently. S.E.S. Is strongly correlated with academic success, people with a low status tend to have low academic success. In my opinion this is a very tragic yet necessary part of society, we can not all be doctors, lawyers, but we as society need people to be unsuccessful in order for others to have success. Not all people are equal and our society banks on and hopes for a wide range of levels of achievement.
- Cultural Capital: Is the cultural feature associated with S.E.S., it is what each student brings culturally to school. Culture also plays a huge role when associated with success. School its self has a culture and when a student comes to school with the ideas that fit perfectly with the school ( the culture of the student themselves), it is a recipe for success, and if the student doesn't fix with the subscribed culture it only puts up barriers. But a student can always change their attitudes and culture to fit. Some features include language (swearing, dialect), fashion, and attitudes.
- Reduce Barriers: How can we reduce barriers? One way is to watch our attitudes, examine the way we think of certain attitudes. Watch our expectations, and consider where the students are coming from. Does the student have other responsibilities, or the proper care of a guardian.
- Multicultural Education:
- Empowering Students: We want to empower them to facilitate them to succeed, by embracing their individuality, and culture. We also should empower students to want to improve their overall community.
- Kanu's Three Recommendations:1. The school curriculum should be openly anti-racist and anti-discriminatory.2. Multicultural Education should be part of every students education.3. Students should be trained to be more conscious of culture, including their own.
Exploration: How in your own life and school career, have you observed education and diversity done? What if anything, would you like to do differently? Why?
Diversity has played a huge role in my education, in Primary to Junior High I lived in Terrace British Columbia, where everywhere you went they celebrated First Nation Culture. This culture was taught by making button blankets, wooden paddles, and nature walks in my earlier years, to first nation seminars and assemblies led by First Nation Drum ceremonies. Yes I do believe in celebrating culture, and that it can bring unity to society, but this also brought up alot of tension. There was empowerment to the extreme, and in a 50/50 community of Caucasians and First Nations, there were lots of disputes.
In High School I moved to North Delta British Columbia, where there was a definite hierarchy in social standing, the children who had issues with the contemporary school system had a portable across the field separate from the school, as well as students who had mental disabilities had there own room in what the students called the basement of the school. Yes there were other classrooms in the basement but they were always out of sight and out of mind.
For the first instance I would would incorporate other cultures as well as First Nation, this way I would hope that there isn't an over empowering experience. For the second instance it is hard to change that system in a high school. Schools have a certain culture because it works and works well, people can change their cultural influences but for the most part a school can only make little changes.
