The Roll of Cultural Diversity in Education free essay sample

The role of cultural diversity in education and how it effect on Students, teachers and the community Culture encapsulates so many characteristics that shape an individual. There are not only influences from gender, race but also from class, age, geographic location, religion and even language influence one’s own cultural identity. In the United States, the student population is one of the most diverse in the whole world. We have a large number of immigrants who locate here from countries across the globe in search of a better life. A result of this is that our society is made up of a large diversity of people who speak a myriad of languages and have their own customs. It is the responsibility of society and educators to recognize and react to the changing population in order to make our students successful. Educators have an obligation to help identify the needs of their students in order to provide a proper education. We will write a custom essay sample on The Roll of Cultural Diversity in Education or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Students are not only affected by their own culture, but the culture they need to assimilate to.According to our text understanding cultural differences and learning to recognize when students do not share your own cultural patterns are critical steps in the provision of equitable learning environment. When students never see themselves in textbooks or stories, the culture of their families and communities is denigrated. As a result, students too often learn that their own culture is inferior to the official culture of the school or mainstream culture (Johnson, Musial, Hall, Gollnick, Dupuis 2005). It is important that the teaching materials used by teachers are proportionate to the student population within the local school system.The administrators and principles need to diligently study the demographic of their school district every year in order to identify what challenges they may face in order to identify the needs for the upcoming school year. Society has changed over the last 25 – 30 years not only through cultural diversity, but the recognition of sexual orientation in regards to homosexuality. I graduated from high school in 1985, and there was no recognition of anyone in our school as to being straight or gay. If someone was gay, they were â€Å"in the closet† for fear of getting beaten or ostracized.Society did not accept homosexuality and AIDS was beginning to be a household term for god’s punishment for those who chose a homosexual lifestyle. Times have changed, and there is more acceptance, but there is still more work that needs to be done. Many openly gay students are still verbally and physically harassed in schools and as a result experience isolation and loneliness to the point of committing suicide. Our schools need to develop support systems where lesbian and gay students can come to school and feel safe.This cannot easily be done. Many communities are intolerant of lesbians and gays and do not see the need for such recognition. Because the school system is a result of the community it serves, it needs to work to change such prejudices within the community in order to serve its students.