Cultural Education Ethics in the US Essay

The demographic composition of the United States is among the most diverse in the world. Of late, the US has experienced unrivaled influx of immigrants from different parts of the world in search of education and employment opportunities. In fact, it is estimated that the total population of immigrants in the US will soon be more than the total number of Americans of European descent by 2050 (Jackson 1). This paper will thus reflect on the cultural education ethics in the US. The reference point will be a case study on Cho Hanako, a Japanese American student who narrates her story about the dreadful experience of her grandparents who were forced to leave their homes and confined in a camp during the Second World War. Although her grandparents were born in the US, they were not proud of their citizenship status due to the cruel treatment they faced during the War. Jessica Phillips, a white student in the class reacts to Hanako’s story by telling her that her grandparents should lay the blame on those “sneaky Japs” for attacking Pearl Harbor and killing her elder brother who was only 18 years old at the time. The comments made by Jessica moves Cho to tears. Some students in the class applaud Jessica while others remain silent.

What I will say to the Japanese American girl

As the teacher, I will immediately console Cho and tell her that the Pearl Harbor incident affected both countries. As much as her grandparents were mistreated during the War, Jessica lost an immediate member of her family. I will encourage her to be tolerant of the pain the War inflicted on both her grandparents and Americans. I will also tell her that she should not blame United States for the unfortunate incident because there were other many other uncontrollable factors that led to the War. I will inform her that the incident is now confined to the past and in fact, both countries (US and Japan) currently have strong military and economic ties. Finally, I will encourage her to take negative comments from other students with humility since she is pursing education in a diverse environment where offensive comments are common (Jackson 1).

My response to the comments made by Jessica

Ethnocentrism is one of the main inhibitor with respect to tolerance and mutual understanding in a diverse classroom. The problem has grown to include resistance to ethnic sexual, racial and religious differences. Ethnocentrism has thus resulted to destructive outcomes on classroom dynamics (Desillas 2). Jessica seems to be ethnocentric because her reaction suggests that she believes that the only valid way of thinking is superior to others and thus she does not see any valid reason why Cho should share her story with the rest of the class. My first task as the teacher will be to inform her of the need to be tolerant in a multicultural society. I will inform her that majority of American classrooms are full of students with diverse national backgrounds, languages and cultures. I will encourage her to learn how to coexist with students from diverse cultures, such as Cho (Allison & Rehm 50). Finally, I will Jessica to avoid making inflammatory remarks that are likely to affect other students negatively. Failure to do so, punitive measures will be taken against her.

The reason why some students cheered

Some of the student cheered for Jessica because they were also disgusted by the Japanese attack on the Pearl Harbor. It is worth to note that the Pearl Harbor attack resulted in a public rage among the US population, government, news media and the rest of the world. The students who cheered Jessica probably had knowledge about the unprovoked attack that left many US soldiers dead. They thus felt that Cho has absolutely no reason to recount her grandparents’ horrific experience under the US military. According to these students, Japan was to blame for the nasty experience encountered by Cho’s grandparents. The retaliation by the US military was thus justified (Pearl Harbor Attack 1).

The reason why some student remained silent

Some of the students chose not to respond to Jessica’s remarks because they were not familiar with what happened during the War. It should be remembered that the Pearl Harbor attack involved only two countries-the US and Japan. It is possible that those students who remained silent after Jessica reacted to Cho’s story were probably not aware of what the two students were talking about. As noted above majority of US classroom are made up of students from diverse cultures and nations. It is most likely that those students who remained silent are immigrants and thus not at liberty to express their views openly. Studies show that students in US are usually outspoken while in classroom. However, in a multicultural classroom, there are learners from nations where students only play passive roles. In fact, their participation is limited to receiving knowledge from the instructor (Desillas 3). This could be one of the reasons why a number of students remained silent after Jessica made the remarks.

How I will turn this case into a teachable moment

Following this incident, I will take a number of steps to address issues that emerged from the confrontation between Cho and Jessica and the nature of the reaction from other members of the class. First, I will select reading resources and develop a curriculum that mirror diverse backgrounds in order to satisfy the needs of all students in the class. Second, I will study issues of power in the classroom. I will identify both vocal and silent students and play the role of an active facilitator to ensure that all students are given a chance to air their views in the class. Third, I will create a rapport with the silent student. I will engage them in an experience sharing forum to know the reasons why they are silent and then collaborate with them to develop strategies that will encourage their active participation in class. Finally, I will convert the negative encounter between Jessica and Cho in the classroom into a learning opportunity by talking about the Pearl Harbor crisis and the need to embrace diversity and an environment of mutual respect (Desillas 5).

My knowledge about the Pearl Harbor attack

The Pearl Harbor Naval Base was a US military installation in Hawaii that was assaulted by Japanese bomber planes and torpedo on December 7, 1941 at 7:55a.m. It is worth note that before the attack, the US was at peace with Japan and both countries were still discussing the importance of sustaining peace in the Pacific. As a matter of fact, one hour after the Japanese airplanes launched an attack on the American Island of Oahu; the Japanese ambassador to the US delivered an official memo which stated that Japan had ended diplomatic negotiation with the US.

However, the memo did not give any hint of the impending attack on the Pearl Harbor Naval Base. Franklin D. Roosevelt, the then US President requested the Congress to pass a declaration of war. The Congress accepted his request and passed the U.S. Declaration of War on Japan on December 8, 1941. That marked the United States’ official entry into the Second World War. It later emerged that the attack was premeditated. Japan was in dire need of natural resources, mainly the oil to sustain its ambitious expansion programs. Japan’s hostility towards the US had been persistent for a long time. This antagonism was due to the fact that the US occupied the Philippines during the American-Spanish War yet it did not consent on the Japan’s occupation of China. In addition, Japan wanted to expand its sphere of influence in the far western Pacific. However, it could not do so since the US had already made headways in the Pacific region (Pearl Harbor Attack 7).

How the knowledge of the attack can enhance my teaching

My knowledge about the events leading to the Pearl Harbor attack will surely improve the way I will teach my diverse class. For example, the attack was as a result of conflicting interests between the two countries. For one, Japan was annoyed by the reluctance of the US to acknowledge its occupation of China yet the US had already occupied Philippines after the Spanish-American War. Secondly, Japan wanted to expand its sphere of interest in the far western Pacific to secure oil, a precious resource that could be used to sustain its military agenda. The US incursion in the Pacific thus prevented Japan from carrying out its plan (Pearl Harbor Attack 6). Thus, to be optimally successful with a diverse group of learners, I will first have to understand the effect of personal backgrounds on my students. These include the ability to know how they operate, think, view the world and most significantly, educate and convey knowledge in class. I also will be conscious of the fact that I will be interacting on daily basis with students who are striving to learn new cultures that are completely different from their own, in a way that can assert or clash with the way they perceive the world (Jackson 3).

According to Jackson, teachers play a key role as the conveyors of culture, education and social tenets in a student’s life after the family and caregivers (3). It is thus imperative that teachers are able to comprehend the numerous ways in which the actions and words of some students (e.g. Jessica) can have an effect others (e.g. Cho). I have also learned that teachers are influential role models for many students. Thus, I will be cautious of the constructive and destructive biases and worldviews (such as the bombing of Pearl Harbor incident) that shaped the way my students perceived the world during their childhood era (Jackson 3).

Works cited

Allison, Barbara, and Rehm Marshal. “Meeting the Needs of Culturally Diverse Learners in Family and Consumer Sciences Middle School Classrooms.” Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences education 24.1(2006): 50-63.

Desillas, Sophia. Managing diversity: Strategies for effective education in a diverse classroom. Gebneva: International Bureau of Education, 1995.

Jackson, Taharee. Starting with Self: Using Self discovery to Prepare Culturally competent Teachers. Atlanta, GA: Emory University, 2007.

Pearl Harbor Attack. “Wars and Battles: Day of Infamy.” U.S. History. 2011. Web.