The family is an important aspect of the society. Most of the family units we see are nuclear which are composed of mothers, fathers and children. This type of unit still dominates our society today; however, it is not just the type that exists. Families and classrooms today are considered diverse and have different scenarios at home. The challenge that we have today as education professionals is how do we, as classroom managers, make our school diversity friendly for our students?
Montgomery (2001), states that for a classroom to be diversity friendly, a teacher must first, look at their attitudes towards diversity and a teacher must also assess their current practices. In addition, Montogomery (2001) argues that teachers have limited knowledge about cultures other than their own thus the need for teachers to carry out self-assessment. It is not easy to ignore this type of issue because of the growing number of families with diversity structures. In a study made by Gilmore & Bell (2006), schools might help children to understand diversity within the society if only they could use literature with diverse family themes. It could also help them know that no distinct type is made solely for success nor a particular type is solely to be doomed because of its structure (Gilmore & Bell, 2006). In a compilation made by the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning at Harvard University, teachers can also start with the attempt on addressing diversity in classrooms by designing instructional materials with diverse families in mind. One example given was that a teacher can construct the ground rules that will serve as guides for students stating expectations on how they are expected to interact with each other inside the classroom.
For the National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems, there are activities that a teacher can engage in to be responsive to diversity. One move can be learning about the history and experiences of diverse groups. It is vital that teachers learn about the lives of different groups so that they may understand how these historical events have affected their students’ attitudes. Another thing is that they can also visit the students’ families and communities in order to relate more to their students. By doing this, teachers can gain insight on the influences surrounding their environment. For Montgomery (2001), teachers can also establish an atmosphere in the classroom that can show respect for individuals if they can follow certain strategies such as: creating bulletin boards that involve diverse people. Another strategy according to Montgomery’s (2001) study could be creating a book corner with a broad range of literature covering family diversity topics. Language arts and social studies programs that provide diversity awareness can also help create a socially responsible classroom for students with families in diverse structures (Montgomery, 2001).
These are but a few of the suggestions that could help education professionals create an environment for students with families who are diverse in structure. As classroom managers, we are given the responsibility to make students comfortable in learning. It should be the teachers’ concern to remove their biases in order to address all concerns that the students may have. It is never sufficient to be aware of the current situation that we have. It should be our goal to explore the family structures more. It is our main concern to help students reach the fullest of their potentials may they belong to any type of family. It’s time that we lead the myriad of educational professionals that we have today in studying the diverse family structures that we have in order to ensure the high quality of education that we offer our students. It’s time to reach out to parents and families and ask for their help in teaching their students. It’s time to get the teaching out of the classroom.
REFERENCES:
Montgomery, W. (2001). Creating culturally responsive, inclusive classroms. Retrieved from http://inclusiveclassrooms.pressible.org/files/2010/04/CreatingResponsiveInclusiveClas ooms.pdf.
Gilmore, D.P. (2006). We are family: using diverse family structure literature with children. Reading Horizons Journal, 46, 279-299. Retrieved from: http://scholarworks.wmich.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3048&context=reading_hori zons.
Richards, H.V., Brown, A. F., & Forde, T. B. (2006). Addressing Diversity in Schools: Culturally Responsive Pedagogy. National Center for Culturally Responsive Educational Systems. Retrieved from http://www.nccrest.org/Briefs/Diversity_Brief.pdf
Teaching in racially diverse college classrooms (2007). Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, Harvard University. Retrieved from http://www.uvm.edu/~diveq/TFT_racially_diverse_classrooms.pdf.
