Our schools and our communities are considered a "Melting Pot" and we must understand what these means to help us teach our children how to get along within cultures.
“The melting pot is a metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous the different elements "melting together" into a harmonious whole with a common culture. It is particularly used to describe the Cultural assimilation of immigrants to the USA.”
The melting was used to describe a society that was diverse, becoming a more similar society. Based on this description I believe that we are a Melting pot. We are a society that has adapted to a new way of life and a new culture but have been able to keep our own identity and keep the characteristics that make us unique in our own cultures. Many of us have married people from a different culture and have been able to integrate both cultures and teach our children the difference. At the same time our children recognize each culture as different but as part of them. With this as they go to school and interact they adapt to “The American Way” and integrate this new culture to what they already have. We have become a melting pot because many of us have embraced our own culture and completely adapt to a new culture in every way.
I was born in Boston, but my family is from Puerto Rico. I speak English and Spanish as do my children. I make foods that are part of my culture and we celebrate certain holidays that are part of our culture. At the same time my children love burgers and pizza. We celebrate the 4th of July with pride because above all we are Americans and are very proud of whom we are in this American society.
I believe people like to use the Phrase “a salad bowl”, because in a salad there are many ingredients, but each ingredient stands out on its own. You can tell and see each ingredient but at the same time we believe it would not be a salad if it only had lettuce; it will be just lettuce. Meaning that once you add a second ingredient it becomes something else, but the lettuce has not stopped being lettuce.
We don’t have to be just one thing; we can be a mixture of many wonderful things that have melted into one great person. Teaching our children the importance of every culture and how to respect each other for what we are, can make a difference in the classrooms, home and in our society.
Hi, Belkys-
ReplyDeleteThis is a great way to view diversity and honor the many unique parts can come together to create a wonderful whole. When it comes to education, I think that socialization and assimilation to the mainstream culture can be useful in ways, but I worry that it can also be damaging to young people who are still trying to identify who they are. I think it is entirely possible to celebrate many cultures without taking away from others, but it seems that people often forget that our country was built on diverse groups of people who shared a common goal of seeking better opportunities. Is it possible to strike a good balance between cultural diversity and mainstream assimilation in schools so that children don't feel that they have to choose only certain parts of themselves?
Hello Belkys,
ReplyDeleteAs every educator is aware when dealing with mixed ability groups, you always have the students who prefer to sit back and let some other student do the work. It is quite challenging as a teacher and requires a creative teacher to be able to get every student to participate when you are working with students with mixed abilities. I know that it requires a lot more effort on my part. On many occasions I have grouped students so that I have many levels in one group and there are times when the stronger and more dominant students are doing the work and others will just be along for the ride. As you question the students on their work some of the students cannot tell you what they have done. Some of this relates to their confidence in their abilities and some of it is because they were not participating in the activity and do not understand the material covered. I have also experienced the strong math student who feels used by me to help other students in the classroom. Some of the students are good about helping other students and some are not.