Cultural diversity in the hinterland

Frederic, Wis., was not exactly a melting pot of different ethnic groups or religious belief systems in the late '70s or early '80s. Sure, there were Methodists, Catholics and Lutherans, but as far as Islam or Buddhism or Judaism goes, the place was devoid of such exotic faiths.

Nor was it a locale where people of color flocked to. In the entire time I went to school there, no African-Americans were enrolled at Frederic. And the only Asian student we had was a Japanese exchange student, whose stay in town was all to brief. To say the least, it was a vanilla environment. So, when it came to cultural diversity and the curriculum, let's just say it wasn't a high priority. After graduation, I couldn't wait to go to college and meet people of various backgrounds.

The place has changed some in the years since, and more attention is paid to exposing students there to different cultures, including the Native American community that resides close by. No other field of study offers a greater range of opportunities to investigate other cultures than social studies. And with the drive in this country to come up with national standards for every subject, including social studies, teachers will be compelled to create learning environments that encourage cultural diversity education. More than that, however, they will be encouraged to investigate cultural diversity in their own communities and their own classrooms and design lessons that reflect the different backgrounds of their students.

As John Lee, author of "Visualizing Elementary Social Studies Method," writes on page 323 of the book, "At the classroom level, teachers must implement the curriculum, which provides teachers another opportunity to reflect the diversity in their school and classroom." Examples of this approach abound, as teachers in our state of Wisconsin conduct lessons on immigration and what ethnic groups settled here, or they might direct their students to research the various Native American tribes that have populated the region throughout history. Also, they might design lessons that deal with the influx of Hmong immigrants to Wisconsin and have their students research the reasons why they settled here. Lee's book mentions how an elementary teacher in New Mexico might have his or her students study the contributions of Native Americans to the region they call home.

These types of lessons naturally engage students, who often want to learn about the histories of their own families or those of their fellow classmates. In the end, lessons like these give children of different backgrounds the chance to share their cultural backgrounds with others who may be unfamiliar with their ethnic heritages. That's one of the wonderful experiences schools can provide.