In the modern era of globalization, the developments have made the world to become one global village. Of course, there are a lot of advantages and disadvantages associated with this as it affects the different perspectives of human lives. One of the areas that have been affected is the educational sector. With reference to this issue, there has been an influx of foreign students into America, all of whom come with the aim of getting proper education. As they interact with the system, new friends and teachers, there are some issues that raise concerns. One of them is the relationship between students, teachers, and their families. This issue is discussed in greater detail in the paragraphs below.
According to Nieto (2009), the issue of multicultural education has been in the picture since the international students started getting into the country. Nieto observes that for a long time, there has been a negative perception of the issue as the teachers often tended to have negative attitudes towards multicultural education, arguing that there was no need to have such. However, the recent developments indicate that there is the need to implement such an education set-up since it enhancing the understanding between people from different cultures. She argues that “it can help to address the four areas of potential conflict and inequity – namely racism and discrimination, structural conditions in schools that may limit learning, the impact of culture on learning, and language diversity” (Nietio, 2009). This is an indication that if multicultural education is enhanced, there can be the possibility of greater understanding of the cultures of others, hence leading to peaceful co-existence.
This aspect is important as it can help in integrating people from different cultures and helping them learn together. Parrish and Linder-VanBerschot (2010) also address this issue in detail where they observe that in a situation where the teachers and student have different cultural backgrounds and values, it is important for them to tray and strike a balance. However, the teachers have a greater role to play in this as they are supposed to guide the students. Not only should the teachers give education that is suitable for students from all cultures, but they should also be acquainted with the different cultures so that they can effectively guides the students and help them in accepting other cultures as well. In other words, the teachers should act as role models to the students. If they need to teach the students to accept the global aspect, they have to be a living example of the same. This is why Parrish and Linder-VanBerschot (2010) argue that “the growing need for education access leads students rightly to demand culturally adaptive learning experience which allow for the full development of the individual.”
Mathews (2000) addresses this issue in greater detail by looking at a real life case. He takes the case of Asian students who have come to the Americas. The aim of this article was to help the teachers to know and understand the behaviors and values of the Asian students so that they can lead and instruct them more effectively. He indicates that in order for the teachers to understand the students, they need to go back and look at their family structures and societal values. He goes on to indicate that “The value of honoring the family is very strongly engrained in South Asia and Southeast Asian children; therefore, discussing any personal problems with an outsider is regarded as disgrace to the family” (Mathews, 2000). This bears much significance to the teachers. They have to understand that when the children from these families act reserved, they are not being arrogant; it is only that they are trained to only open up to family, and in this case, the teacher is an outsider to them. Such an understanding can help the teacher to avoid conflicts with the children and their families; and also make the teachers more culturally sensitive. This is also the kind of teaching and teacher-student relationship that Ladson-Billing (1995) advocates for when she calls for the culturally relevant teaching. It is about knowing the cultures of the students and aligning the education strategies and communication in a manner that does not go against their beliefs.
Achieving such a relationship is not an easy fit. According to Lee and Manning (2001), the experience of the Asian American students can be a good example to show how the teachers can understand the issue of diversity and positively apply it. The argument is that the teachers should accept the students as they are and try to understand more about them. They should also know on how to work with these people. More specifically, they suggest that there should be an effort to work closely with and “respect immediate and extended family members, understand the diversity within the Asian ethnic groups” (Lee and Manning, 2001). Such practices can help in alleviating stereotyping, thereby encouraging the students to also accept the diversity and fit into the system.
In conclusion, this essay has looked at the interaction between the teachers, student sand parents in a multicultural setting. It has been seen through relevant literature that the only way that this relationship can be enhanced is if the teachers understand the students at a deeper perspective. By understanding their values and way of life, the teachers can effectively incorporate the students into the system and help them to learn even more.
References
Ladson Billing, G. (1995). Culturally Relevant Teaching. Theory into Practice, Vol. 34(3), pp. 159-165. Retrieved on 29th Nov. 2012 from
Lee, G.L. & Manning, M.L. (2001). Working with Asian Parents and Families. Multicultural Education, Vol. 9(1), pp. 23-25. Retrieved on 29th Nov. 2012 from
Mathews, R. (2000). Cultural Pattern of South Asian and Southeast Asian Americans. Intervention in School and Clinic, Vol. 36(2), pp. 101-104. Retrieved on 29th Nov. 2012 from
Nietio, s. (2009). Chapter 4: “Multicultural Education and School Reform.” In: Nietio, S. (2009). Language, Culture, and Teaching: Critical Perspectives. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis. Retrieved on 29th Nov. 2012 from
Parrish, P. & Linder-VanBerschot, J. (2010). Cultural Dimensions of Learning: Addressing the Challenges of Multicultural Instruction. International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, Vol. 11(2). Retrieved on 29th Nov. 2012 from
