The Melting Pot

Diversity stirs the melting pot. It creates individuality that makes each one of us unique. The face of diversity is the face of an individual. We as future educators need to embrace diversity and develop teaching patterns that work for all our students. The expectations must be set high, but set differently for each individual student. We must also consider students with physical and mental challenges, and how we do not single them out. Teachers are faced with many challenges, and there is no such thing as a perfect classroom setting. It is how we deal with these challenges. How do we create environment where all students culturally and ethnically feel comfortable? How do help a child who has AHD or ADD overcome their stigma, and see themselves as individual? They are not AHD or ADD, they have these disabilities and are not defined by them. Teachers must avoid stereotypes and gender bias. Taking all this things into consideration teachers will be able to adapt to the diversity in their classroom. The next challenge in diversity is English being a second language for a student. How do we adapt when half of our class does not speak English?

There is now a greater need for assistance for students whose first language is not English. We call these English language learners (ELLs). Schools have now responded to this great need for assistance in four different programs. There is Bilingual Maintenance program where the first language is maintained through reading and writing first language while English integrated. Next, is the Transition program where student first learn to read in native language and then given some instruction in English as Secondary language. Once they have mastered English they are placed in English speaking classrooms. Then we have the Immersion program students learn English by being "immersed" into classrooms where English only spoken. Finally, the program called English as a Second language (ESL), where students are pulled out of the classroom to have supplementary English instruction. All programs work in some shape or form but ESL seems to be the most favored program because it is easier to administer to all students.