Essay on Assimilationism vs. Multiculturalism - 753 Words

Assimilationism vs. Multiculturalism In the words of Thomas Bray, Should we assimilate to one standard, or should we celebrate diversity? This is a popular question in Americas classrooms today. America, known as the melting pot, is made up of many different colors, races, religions, and beliefs. American professors, journalists, and authors would like to know if multiculturalism has a positive effect on children in todays classrooms. Whether or not the students way of life and personal experiences should be discussed in class is a major issue. Maxine Hairston, a Professor of Rhetoric and Composition at the University of Texas at Austin, writes of her experience with teaching in a multicultural classroom. Hairston is a†¦show more content†¦The businessmen, Thomas Bray claims, They tended to agree-as do most of the polls-that bilingual education is a bad idea. California had a state ballot against bilingual education. An opinion as such coming from a businessman who has no experience in as everyday classroom is not a good basis to go from. The Latino citizens in California just want an equally fair chance to get an education as any other citizen of the United States. All people go to school to learn no matter what race, religion, gender, or belief. An excellent point Bray makes, But a country that has no standards to assimilate to is a country without a core. And a country in deep trouble. Bray knows that America is a country of differences and not a perfect one, but we are still all one country. If we do not accep t people and their differences then America will fall apart. Amy Tan, an author, grew up in a multicultural classroom. She writes of personal experiences as being a child of an immigrant family in America. Tan relates to the differences she had because of her mother speaking broken English. Amy Tan does say, That was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, made sense of the world. She shaped the world through her mothers voice, the only thing she knew as a young girl. Tan goes on, But I do think that the language spoken in the family, especially in immigrant families which use more insular, plays a large role in shaping the language of