Melting Pot or Not? Blog #4

Immigration plus immigration plus immigration equals the face and color of society in America. Although America has, for many years, been called the land of opportunity, many Americans really wish that "opportunity" would stop knocking on the doors of future immigrants! The question of multicultural education raises it head frequently in regard to the duty that we as American educators have to present the entire spectrum of our society's heritage. What a task! So much for the term "melting pot" which implies that the population of this great nation will meld into a single proud society. Instead, many school districts and their teachers feel overwhelmed at the daunting task of presenting a varied sampling of America's citizens' multi-faceted history. The task has become not only to present the past but to present it in a cross curricular approach. This feat seems almost too much to think about in addition to teaching "reading, writing, and arithmetic."

One hundred years ago when I was in elementary school and then high school (not really, just the 70's and 80's - gasp), I would say the curriculum in regard to culture was centered upon basic American values. There was no real emphasis on the understanding of different cultures. The history books had not been rewritten to include the impact of other cultures and the roles they played in shaping American society. We were still "politically incorrect" I suppose. Social control was communicated through "good old fashioned" emphasis on right and wrong. The "wrong" emphasis was re-emphasized to the "tune of the hickory stick" (the dreaded paddle).

As a student, I was not part of a minority group. Furthermore, I was not concerned about the exploration of other cultures. I, however, was concerned with whether or not I was receiving the best possible training in order to prepare myself for success on the ACT and consequently college. I honestly do not recall that a multicultural education would have improved my score on the ACT. I also must admit, eventhough it is politically incorrect, that I do not believe that a multicultural education would have had a significant impact on my college performance. Sorry, that's my story, and I have to stick to it.

Reference:

Diner, Hasia. (2008). Immigration and U.S. History. America.gov. Retrieved from
http://www.america.gov/.