Reflection #3 EDF 1005

Ever since I left my country of Cuba when I turned 7 years old and my parents took me to Chile, where I was exposed to a multicultural setting. I started 2^nd grade in a foreign country and making friends was difficult because my accent was different, even though we spoke the same language. In Chile I attended a private school that was composed of children who had lived abroad since their families had to leave the country after the violent dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. In school we had to learn about other cultures to understand were we all came from and help us get along. The name of the school was “Latino Americano de Integracion” (Integration of Latin America) the concept of exploring and dissecting cultures was the school motto. Every year the entire school would participate in a competition where each class would represent a country and we had to show traditional food and dance from that specific place. In class teachers taught history of the country as well of South America and appointed projects that made us introduce our country of origin. Transformation approach was the method used; it allowed me and the other students to be more involved in class. In the United States education is significantly different, in order for students to receive a multicultural education they must choose it from specific classes. In high school, I experienced Contributions approach, the only exposure to culture, as I recall was in my Latin American and African History class or during specific holidays. It’s a shame not much attention is given to the multicultural concept because it would be a great approach in schools, since the vast majority of students are from diverse places. If I had the chance to return to school, I would encourage the use of the social action approach, even though I was content with the transformation approach. This would allow students not to only recognize different cultures but to embrace and become involved.