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Research Paper

The Importance of Teaching Diversity

Juliann MacNicoll

Pacific Oaks College

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The importance of teaching diversity

As adults, we tend to adapt to our surroundings and let our environment influence and

control what we think about life. These influences can be positive but often are negative, and

we continue to pass these negative experiences to the next generation. Once these ideas are

compressed into our brains we feed off these ideologies and let them take over our lives,

letting them circulate around whats really important: our jobs, households and most

importantly our children. As educators we also feel the similar pressure when it comes to

strongly influencing children and providing them a safe learning environment. The real

question is, how can our actions and public display effect the development of children and

how can we change these negative impacts from hiding them from the real world. The truth

is we cant hide them from everything, especially today when everyone has easy access to a

cell phone, the TV and the internet. The controversy today is children are becoming less

color blind, meaning we as the adults and the childs surroundings are teaching children to

judge and label others for being different. These labels are effecting the world still, after

years of civil right movements. We as a country are still far behind from moving past these

social biases, stereotypes and prejudices. Because of all the hatred and labeling we are

teaching our children that it is acceptable and to hide from who they are as individual.
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Today, approximately 7 billion humans are living on planet earth within 7 continents.

Within these continents, roughly 6,500 different languages and religions are practiced. We as

humans have evolved within 200,000 years and our ancestors have been around for about

6,000,000 years. After several historical movements, we as a country have emerged and

welcomed cultural differences.

Sadly enough, even with all the racial movements we still hold racial prejudices. Racial

prejudice is defined as a negative attitude towards a group of people based on race and not on

direct knowledge or experience. People, who use prejudices, can easily give a negative attitude

towards someone else. This type of judgement has been used in several historic world events in

our history, such as World War II and the holocaust. Adolf Hitler who became one of the most

powerful dictators of the 20th century, took over as a leader in the National Socialist German

Party, taking control of the German government in 1933. Because of his idea of normal, he

was responsible for more than 6,000,000 deaths during the holocaust. He created concentration

camps and segregated jews and other groups thats were racially profiled because he thought

they were a threat to Aryan supremacy. During the African-American civil rights movement, a

mass protest against racial segregation and discrimination in the southern United Sates during the

mid- 1950s. This movement was based upon the roots of centuries- long African slaves and the

descendants to stay away from racial oppression and suspend the act of slavery. Due to the civil

war, American slaves were freed and also granted basic civil rights. The struggle to secure

federal protection of these rights continued for the next century. Because black people were not

viewed the same as whites, they were discriminated against and not given the same authority as

whites. This movement also caused several deaths, including the assignation of Martin Luther
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King Jr. who was a social activist and led the civil rights movement was killed while fighting for

the rights of blacks.

One of the most amazing things about living in the United States is within the 50 states,

we are a diverse country. People have immigrated here for the perfect American life. Immigrants

who move here from their homeland often look for a place where they can get a better job,

security for their family, better education and importantly we are viewed as a welcoming pot,

made with diversity. Honestly, even though you may think we are making the best choice for our

families, does this leave an effect on children? Immigrant children are described to experience a

variety of cognitive and emotional adjustments when they leave their home country. When they

enter a new country, their familiar language, culture, and community, they are basically leaving

everything they were surrounded with. One of the biggest propagandas today is children

forcefully being taught to adapt to the American culture and leaving their home culture behind.

Immigrant children have their own individual histories and they have to struggle with the

changes of their own lives. They started their development in their home country; they were

raised in a different culture. Today, the word culture is defined in several different ways. Culture

is defined as the beliefs, customs, arts of a particular society, group, place and time, or a

particular society that has its own beliefs and ways of life. Theres several different areas that

cover diversity and culture: Poverty, has a huge influence on beliefs, attitudes, and behavior of

families. Sexual orientation and ethical argument in respecting all families. And special needs,

issues that may arise around children inclusion in programs designed for developing children.

According to Diversity in Early Care and Education (2008), culture is extremely complex, and

people of the same culture are quite different, depending on their individuality, their family, their

gender, age, race, ethnicity, abilities, religion, economic level, social status, where they live and
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where they came from, sexual orientation, educational level, and even appearance, size and

shape! (p. 5) As a teacher, it is crucial to give these students a comfortable learning

environment. It is important to expand awareness of diversity by simply observing and

communicating. It is important to develop relationships and create mutual trust with partnerships

and families and encourage them to participate. You must also respect the preferences and

dignity of each family and to make an effort to learn about their culture, language, customs, and

beliefs. The purpose of teaching is to make an effort to create a positive environment for learning

and to ask students to do the same. The main goal of working with immigrant children is to make

sure they feel connected to their homeland. Providing this is to eliminate harmful confusion with

the family and program throughout sensitivity and responsiveness.

There are several stages that all children may or may not experience or go through in

different periods of time. These stages include the silent stage, the uprooting experience, culture

shock, mixed emotions, excitement or fear in the adventure of the journey, curiosity, depression

and confusion, assimilation or acculturation, and the sixth stage the mainstream. During these

stages, we need to accommodate they childs need to make them more comfortable. Engaging

children into activities that allows them to share and discuss similarities and differences allows

them to learn and to be open-minded about differences in cultures. Parents need to push children

to continue practicing their culture, including the new one they may become surrounded with in

their environment. When coming to a new country, children and families should not be forced or

shamed to learn the language that their new home uses. Several immigrants are forced to learn

how to speak English and to drop and stop using their home language. As a civil right, parents

are allowed to practice their cultural language at home and when needed to for example in school

practice English. When is come down to comparing skin color, hair types or any physical feature,
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we need to teach children that those unique features make them who they are. There is no real

definition of normal when it involves comparing people. Children who grow up being labeled

as abnormal can leave a negative effect of their identity.

Understanding and respecting native cultural attitude of immigrants is important as

helping them learn a second language. Adults play the important role in the lives of children if

they are going to incorporate attitudes and the behaviors that go along with honoring diversity.

Children learn from their parents and teachers how to react and behave in culturally distinct

ways. The goal is to eliminate micro-aggressions, stereotypes, labels, biases, and to stay away

from the definition of normal by teaching children that there is really no difference underneath

the outer layer of our bodies.

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Igoa, C. (1995). The inner world of the immigrant child. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum
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