Madeline Marquis

Mrs. Alstot

Child Lit Per 3

14 January 2020

Fairy Tales: Mini ESA

Teaching different cultural viewpoints promotes unity and diversity in the classroom by

influencing a child to gain an understanding about different aspects of culture, helping them

learn to feel empathy for others, and teaching them about healthy and loving relationships. For

instance in the story ​Cendrillon ​by Robert D. Souci (The Caribbean Cinderella), the

washerwoman, Cendrillon’s godmother, tells a story about how she, “Often nursed [Cendrillon’s

mother], for she was always sickly, poor creature. In thanks, she made me the ​nanniń,

godmother, of her baby girl, Cendrillon. When I held that ​bébé ​in my arms on her christening

day, I felt such love!” (Souci 7). Through this story, children learn to empathize with someone

else as they may feel sad when the woman is described as “sickly”, as well as being shown a

loving relationship between Cendrillon and the godmother which could help them grow their

social and emotional skills. The use of the words “​nanniń” a​ nd “​bébé”​ help expose children to

languages of other cultures and teach them that everyone is different, which will help the

classroom be a safe space with diversity and inclusion. In addition to social and emotional

development, learning about another culture can influence a child’s intellectual development.

After Cendrillon had to leave, she left one of her slippers, and as she “heard the twelfth stroke,

we found ourselves in the dusty road, beside a smashed breadfruit, Around us ​agoutis​ and lizards

and a fat ​manicou​ scurried into the brush” (Souci 20). Through the use of words like
“breadfruit”, “​agoutis”, ​and “​manicou”​ children are shown different aspects of a culture that

they are not familiar with, which will grow their intelligence and open their minds. Teaching a

story like this will allow children to realize that there are more ways to do and say things than

just what their used to, which will in turn promote unity and diversity in the classroom

environment. A child’s intellectual, social, and emotional development is improved when they

learn about other cultures and are exposed to different ways of life.