Oh my… the semester is almost over! It is unbelievable that I have taken 4 courses this semester. I thought I would not be able to survive at all. Thanks to my classmates who worked with me and other friends who helped me with my English, I managed to get through it all. After this semester I only have one more class, which is a linguistics class, and it will surely kill me. I must complete this course in order to receive my Master degree. This course was very hard, but, I honestly can say that I have learned a lot. None of the classes I have taken are a waste of my time. I have accumulated a lot of teaching materials that I can use in my class, both for Japanese learners and English learners. I really appreciate the difficulty of this course, but it surely provided me a chance to improve my teaching practice.
Unfortunately, I do not have a license to teach anywhere in the United States. Before I came here, I had never thought about staying in the states for a while after graduation, so I do not have a licensure path either. However, I would like to try to transfer my Japanese national license in English subjects into a TN one, so that I may be able to teach here.
I have taught the Japanese language at MTSU for 3 semesters, and it has been very interesting. I love all of my students. They are all different, but all of them showed passion when it came to learn the Japanese culture and the language. Their questions made me think about whom I am and what I have as a Japanese person. I wish all of my students were learning the language in Japan, so that they can make more use of it though.
For one of the course requirement, I made a Wiki page for ESL professionals and teaching materials. Actually, I honestly do not like the Wiki because it often messed up my work. It sometimes took me more than 2 hours to edit it causing me frustration. I haven’t used my Wiki pages in my class for my students because it is for ESL, but I may redesign the site for other Japanese learners, so that they can have access to a lot of useful information regarding the Japanese culture and language.
Even though this course was for ESL add-on, I worked with my Japanese learners so that I could make use of obtained information in order to improve my teaching practice. I surely learned a lot and sometimes applied the materials, such as writing prompts, to my Japanese class. It seemed very successful for both my students and me, because the students had more detailed directions to follow. I am so glad that I took this course and other related courses that allowed me to acquire different materials that I can use in class. .
Since I worked with my Japanese learners, it is a bit hard to give advice to an ESL teacher. But as an ESL learners myself, I want to tell you that those students are having difficulty fitting into a new environment. When I studied abroad for the first time in America, I was culture shocked and had a hard time in adjusting myself to a new school. Many students do not come here to study abroad, so it would be a lot different from my situation. However, if they have at least one person who understands and listens to them, they can feel at home. I’m sure that, as I am enjoying teaching the Japanese language to my students, you will enjoy teaching your students as well because they are very adorable and unique.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Literature Circle
For one of the course requirements, I implemented a literature circle, which is a discussion-related reading practice. I implemented the activity in my Japanese class where I have been working on my previous course requirements as well. In conclusion, I would say it was unsuccessful, unfortunately. There are a few possible reasons for the results that the experiment produced. First, their Japanese skill was too underdeveloped to read something consisting of new vocabulary and new grammar. Second, there was not enough time to implement the literature circle thoroughly. However, I believe it would be very helpful in teaching English when I go back to Japan. The students in traditional English class in Japan focus more on grammar, not on the content of the story. Using a Literature circle can be facilitated to develop students’ reading skill.
Yes, it was unsuccessful to implement a literature circle with my students who are taking Japanese as a second language. Students didn’t know what to do, because there were too many words and grammar they didn’t know even though the book is for lower level beginners. It seems very hard for them even when it came to skimming and scanning the text. However, the context and pictures of the story helped my students in knowing what was actually taking place. One of their favorite topics that they enjoyed was learning about Sushi, their most well-known and favorite Japanese food.
Discussing their knowledge on Sushi in the pre-reading activity was helpful in building further understanding towards Japanese cultural aspect. All of them knew what sushi was, but actually one of them had never had it before, so the material itself was very interesting for them as well. As students read and discussed, they became more interested in the reading. Through discussion, however, I doubt if their reading comprehension was well developed due to the difficulty of the material.
I’m sure that I will use a literature circle in my class in the future, but not for my Japanese students. Because of their proficiency level, reading is still too difficult and boring. There are too many things that they do not know while reading without feeling a burden. However, it will be very effective for higher lever Japanese students, who may be over the 2000 level. Even though we do not offer reading/writing classes, I would like to try to let them read a text and discuss the material.
In order to repeat the literature circle, I need to consider my understanding of the literature circle, first. This time, I was still trying to figure out how to implement this method correctly while actually putting it into effect with my students. If I will use the literature circle for my Japanese 1010 class, I would change the material a lot in order for them to easily comprehend it. I will definitely try the same literature circle for my intermediate or advance students to see how the results turn out if I have a chance to teach a different class.
A Literature circle method seems to be a very effective way for teachers and students to have discussions about the material. Teachers should consider incorporating a literature circle in their regular classroom. In this case, teachers need to carefully choose literature that students are interested in reading and discussing. As least, the level of the literature should be at the same level as the students’ proficiency, or a little bit more challenging. I’m sure they will like it!!
Yes, it was unsuccessful to implement a literature circle with my students who are taking Japanese as a second language. Students didn’t know what to do, because there were too many words and grammar they didn’t know even though the book is for lower level beginners. It seems very hard for them even when it came to skimming and scanning the text. However, the context and pictures of the story helped my students in knowing what was actually taking place. One of their favorite topics that they enjoyed was learning about Sushi, their most well-known and favorite Japanese food.
Discussing their knowledge on Sushi in the pre-reading activity was helpful in building further understanding towards Japanese cultural aspect. All of them knew what sushi was, but actually one of them had never had it before, so the material itself was very interesting for them as well. As students read and discussed, they became more interested in the reading. Through discussion, however, I doubt if their reading comprehension was well developed due to the difficulty of the material.
I’m sure that I will use a literature circle in my class in the future, but not for my Japanese students. Because of their proficiency level, reading is still too difficult and boring. There are too many things that they do not know while reading without feeling a burden. However, it will be very effective for higher lever Japanese students, who may be over the 2000 level. Even though we do not offer reading/writing classes, I would like to try to let them read a text and discuss the material.
In order to repeat the literature circle, I need to consider my understanding of the literature circle, first. This time, I was still trying to figure out how to implement this method correctly while actually putting it into effect with my students. If I will use the literature circle for my Japanese 1010 class, I would change the material a lot in order for them to easily comprehend it. I will definitely try the same literature circle for my intermediate or advance students to see how the results turn out if I have a chance to teach a different class.
A Literature circle method seems to be a very effective way for teachers and students to have discussions about the material. Teachers should consider incorporating a literature circle in their regular classroom. In this case, teachers need to carefully choose literature that students are interested in reading and discussing. As least, the level of the literature should be at the same level as the students’ proficiency, or a little bit more challenging. I’m sure they will like it!!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Ethnographic Case Study
Overall, I really enjoyed doing the case study and narrative with my students of the Japanese language. In the case of university level class, relationship between a teacher and a student tends to be distant, compared to that in elementary and secondary. University teachers usually do not have a lot of personal information of their students. Through this case study, I could see many aspects of my students, such as how my students have grown up, how they feel, and what they like. Even though the student I chose to observe was the same student that I talked to for the previous interview, there were still many to be learned about the student. I always enjoy observing class and communicate with students.
The student who I observed for case study and had an interview for my ethnographic narrative was the same student I talked to for previous interview. She is a very studious student who is always willing to help me with assisting my other students. I have almost 30 students in my Japanese 1010 class, which can be considered too many for elementary level language class. It is very hard to correct all errors students made all by myself during class activity. I have never asked her to help other classmates while they are working on an activity, but she provides a cue and corrects pronunciation of other students. It may be because she likes learning languages. She has been studying French, German, and Japanese, and wants to be a translator for those languages. Her brothers are also learning languages. Because of her environment, she is very motivated to learn and helpful.
Case study was very helpful for me to get to know more about specific environment and people. If I did not conduct case study for this assignment, I would not know much about her, such as what she likes, who she likes in a family, where she lives, and so on. I could learn about her strengths and taught me how I can foster them. Another reason why case study is applicable is that teachers or/and observer can see students who are behaving as usual. They do not need to let those students know about observation undertaking. Of course, teachers should watch each student all the time in class, but observation can allow teachers to focus on what they are looking for through the observation. You cannot take action to improve your practice or resolve problems unless you know what is wrong with it.
I also conducted an interview for ethnographic narrative with the student after the case study on the same day. I really enjoyed talking with her, because she seemed she was having fun with talking to me about herself. It is very important for teachers to know what kind of environment students are living in, so that they can understand the students more. The student I talked with has a mother who has physical disability who always needs a help. She loves spending time with her because her mother is very interesting for her. Her twin younger brothers also motivate her to learn languages. All of them are learning Japanese at college. (Yes, I was so happy when I heard that!! :))
It is always hard to deal with a student who has better comprehension and proficiency of the target language than other students. The student I observed had a higher level of understanding of the Japanese language. During my observation, grammatical mistakes were rarely seen while she was speaking, but because of her higher Japanese proficiency, the tasks provided seemed to be too easy and not challenging enough for her. In order to keep the student from boredom or becoming unmotivated in class, I should consider how I can utilize her Japanese ability at the same time as helping other students. The tasks we currently do in class seem to be too easy and boring for her. I always have a conflict inside me to meet her needs over other students’ Japanese proficiency. As a language teacher, I need to take other students Japanese proficiency into consideration of what kinds of and how activities should be done. In order to utilize her Japanese proficiency, I can ask her to correct other students with me during activities, and/or provide her extra work to complete after her classroom activities have been completed. These actions will make her a stronger Japanese speaker, as well as aid the students in my class with someone who understands the difficulties of learning a language for the first time.
The student who I observed for case study and had an interview for my ethnographic narrative was the same student I talked to for previous interview. She is a very studious student who is always willing to help me with assisting my other students. I have almost 30 students in my Japanese 1010 class, which can be considered too many for elementary level language class. It is very hard to correct all errors students made all by myself during class activity. I have never asked her to help other classmates while they are working on an activity, but she provides a cue and corrects pronunciation of other students. It may be because she likes learning languages. She has been studying French, German, and Japanese, and wants to be a translator for those languages. Her brothers are also learning languages. Because of her environment, she is very motivated to learn and helpful.
Case study was very helpful for me to get to know more about specific environment and people. If I did not conduct case study for this assignment, I would not know much about her, such as what she likes, who she likes in a family, where she lives, and so on. I could learn about her strengths and taught me how I can foster them. Another reason why case study is applicable is that teachers or/and observer can see students who are behaving as usual. They do not need to let those students know about observation undertaking. Of course, teachers should watch each student all the time in class, but observation can allow teachers to focus on what they are looking for through the observation. You cannot take action to improve your practice or resolve problems unless you know what is wrong with it.
I also conducted an interview for ethnographic narrative with the student after the case study on the same day. I really enjoyed talking with her, because she seemed she was having fun with talking to me about herself. It is very important for teachers to know what kind of environment students are living in, so that they can understand the students more. The student I talked with has a mother who has physical disability who always needs a help. She loves spending time with her because her mother is very interesting for her. Her twin younger brothers also motivate her to learn languages. All of them are learning Japanese at college. (Yes, I was so happy when I heard that!! :))
It is always hard to deal with a student who has better comprehension and proficiency of the target language than other students. The student I observed had a higher level of understanding of the Japanese language. During my observation, grammatical mistakes were rarely seen while she was speaking, but because of her higher Japanese proficiency, the tasks provided seemed to be too easy and not challenging enough for her. In order to keep the student from boredom or becoming unmotivated in class, I should consider how I can utilize her Japanese ability at the same time as helping other students. The tasks we currently do in class seem to be too easy and boring for her. I always have a conflict inside me to meet her needs over other students’ Japanese proficiency. As a language teacher, I need to take other students Japanese proficiency into consideration of what kinds of and how activities should be done. In order to utilize her Japanese proficiency, I can ask her to correct other students with me during activities, and/or provide her extra work to complete after her classroom activities have been completed. These actions will make her a stronger Japanese speaker, as well as aid the students in my class with someone who understands the difficulties of learning a language for the first time.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Field note of Action Research
General thoughts on Action Research
I like action research even though I have never heard about action research until taking an action research course at graduate school. According to Craig (2009), action research is “common methodology employed for improving conditions and practice in classrooms and in other practitioner-based environments such as administrative, leadership, social, and community settings.” The research is conducted in the environment that a teacher can involve as a practitioner and researcher. Teachers are required to take an active role in the environment being studied because it is considered a field-intensive process. As a language teacher myself, there are many problems and concerns that I have in my class. It allows researchers (teachers) to examine problems, reflect findings, and apply them to improve their practice, and even the process of the research can be utilized for teaching development. Teachers do not need to focus on research, but on students and their practice. I do not have a lot of time to try other research methods, but action research is very time-efficient, researcher-friendly and directly related to teacher’s practice.
Ideas as a result of my action research
The action research I conducted was to see how Japanese teachers can improve their practice when teaching characters (Hiragana & Katakana). Due to the complexity of the Japanese language writing system, it has been a big burden on my students to memorize those characters in such a short period of time. Since my classes have already been finishing the Hiragana, only will my study now focus on how to study the Katakana. As a result of my action research, I found that taking time for students to practice in class and review each other works was very effective. I still need to research what kind of assignments and class activities can be utilized though. When we are doing Hiragana, I used matching game for 20 minutes at the end of class, which rules were students finding a card of hiragana with the same hiragana read by me. I didn’t use the same game this time, but instead, I did dictations in order for my students to get used to the sounds of the Japanese. I felt like fun games with more interaction would be able to encourage my students more.
Suggestions based on my findings
When I was studying the English alphabet at junior high school, it was such a pain to be quiet with having anything to do, because I’d already known all of them. While my classmates were practicing and completing charts or any works, I was waiting after completed them quickly. The same things are always been able to seen in my classroom. Some students can finish their work very quickly because they are already familiar with the materials while other students are still working on. Thus, teachers have better prepare extra works for those students. Actually, I tried before, providing extra work for students who finished the Hiragana chart quickly. It was a pair work, so they could interact and teach each other. Motivating students to complete their homework.
I like action research even though I have never heard about action research until taking an action research course at graduate school. According to Craig (2009), action research is “common methodology employed for improving conditions and practice in classrooms and in other practitioner-based environments such as administrative, leadership, social, and community settings.” The research is conducted in the environment that a teacher can involve as a practitioner and researcher. Teachers are required to take an active role in the environment being studied because it is considered a field-intensive process. As a language teacher myself, there are many problems and concerns that I have in my class. It allows researchers (teachers) to examine problems, reflect findings, and apply them to improve their practice, and even the process of the research can be utilized for teaching development. Teachers do not need to focus on research, but on students and their practice. I do not have a lot of time to try other research methods, but action research is very time-efficient, researcher-friendly and directly related to teacher’s practice.
Ideas as a result of my action research
The action research I conducted was to see how Japanese teachers can improve their practice when teaching characters (Hiragana & Katakana). Due to the complexity of the Japanese language writing system, it has been a big burden on my students to memorize those characters in such a short period of time. Since my classes have already been finishing the Hiragana, only will my study now focus on how to study the Katakana. As a result of my action research, I found that taking time for students to practice in class and review each other works was very effective. I still need to research what kind of assignments and class activities can be utilized though. When we are doing Hiragana, I used matching game for 20 minutes at the end of class, which rules were students finding a card of hiragana with the same hiragana read by me. I didn’t use the same game this time, but instead, I did dictations in order for my students to get used to the sounds of the Japanese. I felt like fun games with more interaction would be able to encourage my students more.
Suggestions based on my findings
When I was studying the English alphabet at junior high school, it was such a pain to be quiet with having anything to do, because I’d already known all of them. While my classmates were practicing and completing charts or any works, I was waiting after completed them quickly. The same things are always been able to seen in my classroom. Some students can finish their work very quickly because they are already familiar with the materials while other students are still working on. Thus, teachers have better prepare extra works for those students. Actually, I tried before, providing extra work for students who finished the Hiragana chart quickly. It was a pair work, so they could interact and teach each other. Motivating students to complete their homework.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
A Factor impacting on Education
Thinking back to my own school years, I was very fortunate to have received a high quality education. Even though more than 90 percents of all graduates of junior high school progress to high school in Japan, it is not required to go to high school and college. After graduated from public primary and junior high school, I entered a private high school and college, which cost more than double of how much it costs other public schools. Moreover, I studied abroad twice for a month without a scholarship when I was a high school student and once for 10 months when I was in college. I’m sure that my parents (especially my father) worked very hard to send me to private schools in Japan along with my brother who went to a private high school and college as well.
In order to receive a high quality education, a person needs money in the United States as well as Japan. However, I can see a difference between these two countries, which is financial aid. There are a lot of opportunities for American students to continue their education in the United State by receiving financial aids or/and scholarships. Thanks to those scholarships, I also can continue my studies in the United States as a graduate assistant. I am sure we do have scholarships and a financial aid system in Japan, but people are not familiar with it.
It seems that the payment that educators receive is one of the largest problems in an educated society as well. In Japan, there are a lot of discussions about the amount of payments teachers are to receive. Some people in Japan say that teachers hired by the government get paid too much compared to office workers or other teachers teaching at private schools. This would be the case if teachers were paid based on how long they stayed in their classrooms or at school, but teachers have extra work that needs to be done outside of the classroom that they are never compensated for. Public teachers in Japan don’t get paid for the outside work they do along with their classroom, such as coaching club activities. Teachers cannot concentrate just on teaching, but on other activities related to school. So, considering those extra works that teachers put in, they should be paid enough to live stable lives.
Because money spent on school and payments for teachers comes from taxes, tax payers have the right to observe how they are used. To develop better environments for children’s education, reforming or/and establishing new schools may be important, but governments should make a well-developed plan to make it successful without wasting money. When I read one article, Green School Doesn’t Make the Grade, I thought it was a good idea as long as it meets the goals set by the government. It becomes a problem when it does not show the results people expect. Why do people get mad at the Government? It is because they cannot utilize our money to promote growth for the sake of good.
I believe that education is the base of all societies. A Strong education program can only help further develop our country. Teachers should be paid according to their work load and activities, and all children should be allowed equal opportunities to learn at schools with a higher quality of education taught by certified teachers.
In order to receive a high quality education, a person needs money in the United States as well as Japan. However, I can see a difference between these two countries, which is financial aid. There are a lot of opportunities for American students to continue their education in the United State by receiving financial aids or/and scholarships. Thanks to those scholarships, I also can continue my studies in the United States as a graduate assistant. I am sure we do have scholarships and a financial aid system in Japan, but people are not familiar with it.
It seems that the payment that educators receive is one of the largest problems in an educated society as well. In Japan, there are a lot of discussions about the amount of payments teachers are to receive. Some people in Japan say that teachers hired by the government get paid too much compared to office workers or other teachers teaching at private schools. This would be the case if teachers were paid based on how long they stayed in their classrooms or at school, but teachers have extra work that needs to be done outside of the classroom that they are never compensated for. Public teachers in Japan don’t get paid for the outside work they do along with their classroom, such as coaching club activities. Teachers cannot concentrate just on teaching, but on other activities related to school. So, considering those extra works that teachers put in, they should be paid enough to live stable lives.
Because money spent on school and payments for teachers comes from taxes, tax payers have the right to observe how they are used. To develop better environments for children’s education, reforming or/and establishing new schools may be important, but governments should make a well-developed plan to make it successful without wasting money. When I read one article, Green School Doesn’t Make the Grade, I thought it was a good idea as long as it meets the goals set by the government. It becomes a problem when it does not show the results people expect. Why do people get mad at the Government? It is because they cannot utilize our money to promote growth for the sake of good.
I believe that education is the base of all societies. A Strong education program can only help further develop our country. Teachers should be paid according to their work load and activities, and all children should be allowed equal opportunities to learn at schools with a higher quality of education taught by certified teachers.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Multiculturalism in Schools
The education that I received in Japan, and the systems they worked off of, is a bit different from the school system in the United States. However, I am sure that the school structure and curriculum have been gradually changing in Japan since I was in elementary and secondary school. When I think about my elementary and secondary school years, however, I really do not remember if multiculturalism and diversity were really integrated into the curriculum and school structure. We did not have minorities or even an ESL class (well, we had English language as foreign language at secondary school that every student was required to take). What I can remember about multicultural education was through learning about world geography, but students usually listened to the lecture passively which not promote discussions to develop multiculturalism.
There were a lot of classes offered related to other countries at my university as well, but they were not mandatory. The courses that I was required to take for my major were all English language classes, since my university was foreign language school, so students did not need to take any culture related courses, such as “Study on American Culture (I don’t know how I can translate the course name right).” So when it comes to multicultural education, it seems better not to study in Japan, but in other countries, such as the United States. However, since my university received numerous students from all over the world (The large number of international students made my college one of the most diverse in Japan), a lot of students who were passionate to learn other cultures had many opportunities to interact with them.
One of the required reading materials, Multiculturalism in School Curriculum, written by Waxler, was very interesting to read and it made me think about how I should integrate multiculturalism in school. He said that we can teach a variety of perspectives and cultures on a given curriculum in a student-centered classroom that inspires active learning and also increases standardized test scores. I strongly agree with multicultural education because our society becomes more global, and the changes should be reflected and integrated into the curriculum and school structure, but not left separated. However, I was very surprised when I first came to the United States and realized that there were a lot of American nationals who do not know world geography and history, but are familiar with American history. Considering Japanese people have a lack of nationalism, I think it is good thing to know about ones own country, even though multicultural education has been brought into schools. Multiculturalism is ideal for promoting understanding and respect for other cultures and people, but we need to be careful and thoughtful about how we integrate this into our education.
There were a lot of classes offered related to other countries at my university as well, but they were not mandatory. The courses that I was required to take for my major were all English language classes, since my university was foreign language school, so students did not need to take any culture related courses, such as “Study on American Culture (I don’t know how I can translate the course name right).” So when it comes to multicultural education, it seems better not to study in Japan, but in other countries, such as the United States. However, since my university received numerous students from all over the world (The large number of international students made my college one of the most diverse in Japan), a lot of students who were passionate to learn other cultures had many opportunities to interact with them.
One of the required reading materials, Multiculturalism in School Curriculum, written by Waxler, was very interesting to read and it made me think about how I should integrate multiculturalism in school. He said that we can teach a variety of perspectives and cultures on a given curriculum in a student-centered classroom that inspires active learning and also increases standardized test scores. I strongly agree with multicultural education because our society becomes more global, and the changes should be reflected and integrated into the curriculum and school structure, but not left separated. However, I was very surprised when I first came to the United States and realized that there were a lot of American nationals who do not know world geography and history, but are familiar with American history. Considering Japanese people have a lack of nationalism, I think it is good thing to know about ones own country, even though multicultural education has been brought into schools. Multiculturalism is ideal for promoting understanding and respect for other cultures and people, but we need to be careful and thoughtful about how we integrate this into our education.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Say “NO” to Multiculturalism?
It is very interesting to see various opinions in terms of multiculturalism. Previously, I posted an entry on Multicultural Education in the United States. It is very important to have multicultural education because the number of immigrants has been rapidly increasing. In classrooms, you will see students from other parts of the world, such as Asia, Africa, and Europe in addition to those who are originally from America. This has made the modern classroom very diverse. Some may come from countries where they practice similar customs and cultures with those of America. However, there are many things, such as how they think and what they believe, varying from country to country. Some students may become confused with other student’s attitudes, postures, or their way of speaking. That’s why, in order to understand the differences in cultures and accepting it, I believe that multicultural education is essential.
One of the most shocking ideas I came across while reading an assigned article for a class was that there are people who are against multiculturalism. I will not say that this way of thinking is wrong; I just have never thought in this manner myself. America has received a lot of people from all over the world and that number only continues to increase. This means there have been more diverse cultures coming into America. I have been to a Mexican residential area, shopped at a Korean supermarket, and enjoyed a Thai and Ethiopian restaurant, while never leaving the city of Nashville. The people who are against Multiculturalism seem afraid to lose their own culture, or, I should say, fear being merged or taken over. On the other hand, I understand that it shows cultural their pride as an America. I do have a lot pride as a Japanese citizen as well and would like to protect the traditional culture and customs of Japan. Each of us love our country as our own, do we not? But we need to think about how society is beginning to change. Our world has been getting smaller and easier to access when it comes to different cultures. For economically big countries like America, a lot of people come not only to visit, but also to live there. As one of the leaders in the world, America needs to show their leadership on multiculturalism. They can exclude those people from their country, but since there already have a lot of people from outside of America, they need to consider accepting them.
However, in a classroom setting, I can understand that some people are concerned about distinguishing those students who have different backgrounds because of multicultural education. It enables teachers to expose students to different values and provides them opportunities to get to know what they haven’t seen before. Through multicultural education, students can learn how to respect people, cultures, and values of other countries. Especially in America, everybody has different origins of birth. Their parents may come from Europe, or Asia, and their grandparents might come from Africa. We cannot tell what they are based off of their appearance alone. There are differences in them even though they look similar (like same race). Even when comparing Japanese people, there are big differences in appearance and characteristics. Why should we not compare people who are different than us? It becomes problematic if you just compare and criticize each other. But, if you can measure the value of the differences and try to accept them, it is worth giving it a try.
One of the most shocking ideas I came across while reading an assigned article for a class was that there are people who are against multiculturalism. I will not say that this way of thinking is wrong; I just have never thought in this manner myself. America has received a lot of people from all over the world and that number only continues to increase. This means there have been more diverse cultures coming into America. I have been to a Mexican residential area, shopped at a Korean supermarket, and enjoyed a Thai and Ethiopian restaurant, while never leaving the city of Nashville. The people who are against Multiculturalism seem afraid to lose their own culture, or, I should say, fear being merged or taken over. On the other hand, I understand that it shows cultural their pride as an America. I do have a lot pride as a Japanese citizen as well and would like to protect the traditional culture and customs of Japan. Each of us love our country as our own, do we not? But we need to think about how society is beginning to change. Our world has been getting smaller and easier to access when it comes to different cultures. For economically big countries like America, a lot of people come not only to visit, but also to live there. As one of the leaders in the world, America needs to show their leadership on multiculturalism. They can exclude those people from their country, but since there already have a lot of people from outside of America, they need to consider accepting them.
However, in a classroom setting, I can understand that some people are concerned about distinguishing those students who have different backgrounds because of multicultural education. It enables teachers to expose students to different values and provides them opportunities to get to know what they haven’t seen before. Through multicultural education, students can learn how to respect people, cultures, and values of other countries. Especially in America, everybody has different origins of birth. Their parents may come from Europe, or Asia, and their grandparents might come from Africa. We cannot tell what they are based off of their appearance alone. There are differences in them even though they look similar (like same race). Even when comparing Japanese people, there are big differences in appearance and characteristics. Why should we not compare people who are different than us? It becomes problematic if you just compare and criticize each other. But, if you can measure the value of the differences and try to accept them, it is worth giving it a try.
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