Creating A Multicultural

Classroom
Nichole Dellamarco
ECE 405: Children and Families in a Diverse Society
Instructor Christine Tranetzki
October 30, 2017
 My Beliefs

My personal beliefs regarding multicultural education are that

multicultural education is the idea of introducing and incorporating
cultures and experiences that are different than the
student is used to.
I believe this helps children to be more open-minded and
understanding of those who are different than themselves
as they blossom into the adults that will lead our futures.
Multicultural Education Philosophy

Multicultural education is designed to be all-inclusive for all students no

matter their circumstances. This type of teaching fosters awareness,
understanding, respect, and cultural pluralism when it comes to ethnic
and cultural differences within children's lives (Wilson, p.1, 2012). This type
of cohesive education creates a learning environment that is safe and
encouraging for all students (Daniels, 2017).
Incorporating My Philosophy

Representation
Ensuring that all cultures are represented, and done so positively, in my
classroom is the first step to ensuring a multicultural education. This will help
each family and child to feel that not only are they important, but they are also
respected.
Exploration
Exploring cultures that are different than their own will help students to
gain a deeper understanding as well as acceptance. Understanding
different cultures will help children to be more mindful of others as they
grow and mature.
Family Involvement
Having families come into the classroom and share their culture not only helps
them to be active in their childs education, but it also creates the opportunity
for students to put faces and personalities to different cultures and family
structures. This also has potential for many fun interactive activities such as
making cultural dishes or learning cultural customs such as dances or attire.
 Potential Obstacles

Unacceptance
The first obstacle I know full-well that I will encounter is parents who do not want
their children in a multicultural classroom. I unfortunately live in an area of Texas
that is not very accepting or understanding. I have heard same-sex parents
referred to as disgusting demons and terrorist screamed at women wearing
a hijab. I plan to combat this in my classroom by creating a decorum policy
that I will expect not only students, but also parents to respect while they are
functioning in any capacity at a school event.
Differences in Opportunity
Part of having a multicultural classroom is understanding that not all students
come into the classroom having had the same opportunities as their peers.
Some students start off at a severe disadvantage. I plan to combat this by
spending extra time working individually with these students so that they may
have the same opportunities provided to them as their peers.
References:
o DANIELS, L. (2017). THE BENEFITS OF CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE CLASSROOMS. IN SEATTLE
PACIFIC UNIVERSITY. RETRIEVED OCTOBER 29, 2017.
o WILSON, K. (2012). MULTICULTURAL EDUCATION (P. 1).