Microsoft | Accommodating the Differences | The Teachers Role | | Donna Tomer | 7/15/2012 |

Students who enter the school building for the very first time experience many different feelings and perhaps many different sights. Among these may be how each of them is different. It is the teacher’s job to explain how the world around them and the people in it are different. Making each child feel like they belong can be difficult but is always possible and a good teacher can accomplish that task. |

Accommodating the Differences With the rowing cultural diversity of the world, the classroom has become a vital launching station for understanding cultural differences. Education about cultural differences and different groups of students starts with the teacher. One group of diverse students may be that of ethnic background. Children develop racial attitudes up until about the age of 9. After the age of 9, racial attitudes are likely to stay the same. Before that, the teacher has a good chance to help children develop positive feelings about who he or she is and about whom others are around them. “Children develop their identity and attitudes through experiences with their bodies, social environments, and their cognitive developmental stages.” (Derman-Sparks, 1989) As these three factors inter play, children go through stages of racial and cultural understanding. Also, as a child’s thinking is not yet fully developed, it is important to catch feeling of racial prejudice before they start, so that a child can form a healthy attitude about the world around them. To help a child of different culture feel comfortable in the classroom, the teacher needs to create a multicultural classroom. This can be done with hanging different pictures of children from all cultures about the classroom. Setting aside 5 or 10 minutes to talk about the pictures with the students helps them to understand that the world is made up of all different kinds of people. Another way of incorporating cultural differences can be done by bringing in a snack that is specific to that culture and sharing it with the children. For example, a snack of fortune cookies for the class. Each child would receive one or two cookies, open it, read their fortune and then enjoy a snack by eating the cookie. It’s not only fun, but yummy as well.

A third way of explaining that everyone is different is to have the children do their fingerprints by setting out some blank index cards and an ink pad. Have everyone take their thumb or another finger and press it on the ink pad and then the index card. Then have the children examine how the fingerprints are different, and how they are alike. Students can even use a magnifying glass to have a closer look. The prints can then be brought home for every parent to cherish throughout the years. “A teacher who is sensitive to cultural differences can bring tremendous value to the classroom. (Jones 2011) A second way our children are diverse is that of intelligence level. Some children need special education and should not be labeled any differently from the others around them. The teacher can involve all the children in activities that everyone can take part in. A game of “Quiet ball” might be appropriate here, where the students pass a ball to the child of their choosing, not letting it remain with the same student for more than a few seconds. Another activity that all the students can take part in is reading aloud together. In this way, students cannot tell if another student missed a word or did not know a word. It is good practice for those that do well and extra practice for those needing it. A third way to incorporate these students in the classroom is by having them work on a group project together. The teacher needs to research a project she knows will be appropriate for all students involved. For example, the teacher might ask each group to think of things that they may see on a field trip, and then have the group list these items on the board. The teacher needs to be very careful not to discuss the progress or academic achievement level of a child with other children in the classroom as well.

A third group of students that children may see in the classroom are the handicapped children. An example here would be an autistic child. Autistic children need more attention from the teacher so that their attention level can remain the same during the day. For break time and recess, the teacher needs to give the autistic child a very important task to do, such as cleaning the blackboard or erasers, as these children do not socialize well with other children. Also when switching from class to class the teacher should make sure that the autistic child gets to their proper destination safely. The teacher should also give the autistic child more time to do their writing assignments and perhaps grade them on a different grading scale, perhaps one with a curve. There are many ways with which a teacher can make their students feel like they are part of the classroom. Perhaps nothing makes a child feel more welcome than an extra special hug from the teacher. When my son takes the teacher a special snack or gift, nothing makes his day more than a hug from Mrs. DeVechiss. We receive a thank you card the same day, and it finds its way to my refrigerator door where it remains for a least a month. “Love never fails.” (NIV 1992) It takes a good teacher to make each child feel special and treasure the education they receive at school.

References Derman-Sparks, L., and the ABC Task Force. 1989. Tools for Empowering Young Children. Washington, DC: National Association for Education of Young Children. Jones, S. (2009). Teachers of Color. Retrieved July 12, 2012, from http://www.teachers of color.com/2009/04/incorporating-cultural-diversity-in… NIV 1992. The Student Bible. Zondervan Publishing House. Grand Rapids, Michigan.