Multicultural Education

July 15, 2010

To my Fellow Community Members,

My name is Claudine Cottini and I have just been appointed to the Chair of Curriculum position in the our School District. I have also been an educator in this school district for the past seven years. This letter is to inform you of some of the changes I plan on implementing to enhance our traditional learning environment. It is our duty to give all students the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to participate in a diverse workforce and in society. We must expose our children to different cultures so they have the knowledge to interact and communicate with diverse cultures and races. It is my belief that children must be taught respect for all cultures starting from an early age.

My first order of business will be to further expand our mindset of multicultural education. Beginning in kindergarten and continuing through all grades, our social studies curriculum will include lessons that pertain to the cultures of the students in the class. Examples of some topics I plan on including are music, games, food, holidays, and clothing of each different culture. These different cultures will be represented in classroom bulletin boards, hallways, lunch menus, and extracurricular activities such as school dances. As the children get older, they will be participating in other activities including book reports and research projects on a chosen culture. We will also be incorporating different cultures into our annual holiday performances. I feel that it is very important to teach our children about the many different cultures that make up our world today.

My goal with this enhanced curriculum will not only teach children about different cultures, but it will also serve to increase the pride in students while their culture is being studied. Families with different cultures are all unique and all children should be exposed to the differences (and similarities) of each.

There are several books on this topic which I plan on making part of the curriculum. For example, there is a book titled “Just Like Me” which has representations from 140 different countries around the world. In just two weeks, our teachers will be attending a summer workshop titled “Developing a Multicultural Curriculum.” One teacher from each school will be attending so we can all benefit from current knowledge and tools on this important topic. The wonderful thing about this curriculum is that it is appropriate for all ages and grade levels.

We will begin implementing these enhancements in the upcoming 2010-2011 school year. I am very confident that each classroom will embrace our new philosophy.

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or require any additional information. Looking forward to a wonderful school year.

Thank you!
Gracias!
Shukria!
Spasiba!
Toda!
Shukran!
Spasiba!

Sincerely,

Claudine Cottini
Chair of Curriculum