SPSE 6810 #4 Multiculturalism in the Curriculum

I agree most with Adam Waxler's article "Multiculturalism in the School Curriculum". Basically, Waxler is saying that schools should not incorporate a entirely new curriculum, but instead keep the existing curriculum and incorporate information and activities into the curriculum. Teachers should not strictly use textbooks. They should use a variety of materials and information to make the curriculum multicultural. I agree that it is too difficult to try to create a curriculum that pleases everyone, but multiculturalism can be taught no matter what is included into the curriculum.

I haven't taught much in American schools, so I cannot talk from experience. I worked for two years in Japan, though. All of my students, with the exception of two, were Japanese. One student was Italian, and had lived in Japan for over 5 years. The other was an exchange student from Australia. These two students followed the same curriculum that all the other Japanese students learned. It was not changed or adapted in any way for them. The two boys were also firmly expected to follow the same policies as everyone else. There were to wear school uniforms, write/speak in Japanese, participate in a club/sport, and anything else students had to do. These students were encouraged to talk about their home countries and culture in class, but were treated just like any other student.