Naren Santayana

That the purpose of multicultural curriculum, especially when established by the environment around the school/establishment, is to empower the oppressed groups within the communities around us. It is crucial to really determine the reason for multicultural education and to understand that it is NOT for the “Most-college-educated White people”. Pg 242

I just thought it was to spread the knowledge about the cultures around us, not just specifically in the community, but around the world.

Sometimes, during ‘multicultural activities’ in school, it would me feel singled out, as if they were just talking about me… and that I was extremely different from everyone around me.

It was weird…

Teachers, especially in the early grades, should definitely include Multicultural education as well as include a unit or center their teaching around social justice.

Why? Because is it is ‘a set of teaching techniques when it is regarded as a set of curriculum and instructional strategies to add to one’s classroom repertoire, particularly to use with culturally diverse students.’

An educator should definitely be aware of the issues going on around them.

A lot of times, students view things that are taught in school as something ‘good’. If they are taught about social justice, they would be able to understand the differences between what is just and what isn’t and would also recognize that this topic is something that must be beneficial for them.

There is power in numbers, as seen in Sleeters ‘The change process’ section on Page 242. “When I asked 16 teachers how much power they believed a cadre of teachers had to change schools, only two discussed the change process in terms of organizing to press collectively for a change”

---There were only two people who felt this way, however, that is because there is a limited number of them. Communities, on the other hand, have all of the power in number that they need.

Communities MUST use their power and go into the schools to observe teachers’ attitudes toward students. This will facilitate school improvement and places emphasis on ‘power to the people’.

Social movements attempt to shift power from power holders (who are…?) towards the movement’s constituent base (who are…?).

It is crucial to remember that “predominantly White groups of educators look to [them]selves as if [they] were the constituent base of multicultural education, which misses the entire point of power-redistribution.

In our communities, we need to view children of oppressed groups, their parents, their communities and their grassroots advocacy organizations as the natural constituency of multicultural education.

• Locally, the action agenda for multicultural education should come largely from opressed communities, not from White educators. White educators can be helpful allies, but should not control decision making.

--I completely agree with this point. It strengthens the multicultural education as it is those who need it the most who determine what it is exactly that they need.

Has a different meaning than it originally should. As stated on page 1 of the article. Links between educational change and community-based movements that began in the 1960s have become obscured.

Now, empowerment involves only individual advancement – being torn away from what it originally was tied to, community based movements.

Of course, there are numerous schools that are much more culturally diverse and multicultural education is more present now than it has ever been.

Many teachers who emphasize multicultural education are good people who work hard to care about children and really teach them what they deserve to know.

• The purpose of empowerment is to redirect the power to those who deserve it socially.

• This shift in power from the ‘assumed power holders’ will empower individuals who have been disenfranchised – parents and children of color or with low income backgrounds; children who are disabled, gay or lesbian, and their parents or adult supporters.

• These are the individuals who are being excluded and it is crucial that they be brought back into the world, empowered.

Due to the connotations that have been applied to the word ‘empowerment’ – “Individual advancement” I would try my hardest to stay way from it. HOWEVER, I would definitely try my hardest to show individuals who come from all backgrounds that in my classroom, no matter what the situation, they will have the power to do anything that they feel they can do.