Houston, Texas. Three Ethnic Groups and Background - Assignment Example

? Intercultural Communication Plan for a Multicultural room Intercultural Communication Plan for a Multicultural Classroom Introduction Houston, Texas is truly the definition of a multicultural city. This can perhaps best be reflected in the fact that this one community has the third highest concentration of foreign consulates and embassies in the country. A staggering 86 different nations have set up a base of operations in Houston. Only New York City and Washington, D.C. can claim that level of diversity in terms of different ethnic groups who call the city home. Before talking about how the educational system in the area deals with the multicultural makeup of the student body, it is helpful to first understand the importance of identifying the melting pot that Houston has become. Some estimates have upwards of 90 languages being spoken in the area, which is in itself considerable. More than just ethnic groups, however, the diversity in Houston can be seen in the various lifestyles that the people exhibit. Houston is considered to be one of the more liberal urban areas in Texas, even hosting a sizable gay pride parade. All of these various factors necessitate that educators in the area implement a pan to create a truly multicultural classroom and encourages intercultural communication (Nieto & Bode, 2012). That plan is the basis for this paper. Community Demographics Houston is home to almost every major ethnic group imaginable. From the countries of Asia, to the outer reaches of Africa, and most countries in Latin America, one is likely to encounter an individual from another ethnic group just by going about daily life. All of these various groups, naturally, have children in schools throughout the area. Some areas are more ethnic than others, creating an especially dire need for educators well versed in multicultural education. Houston, for example, has separate and distinct Chinatowns in different parts of the city. One area has such a high population of Vietnamese and Chinese residents that the street sings are dual language in order to provide deeper intercultural communication. Given Houston’s proximity to Mexico and other Southwestern states that have a high population of Latino residents, various areas of the city of heavily minority based. Individuals from Latin American have a distinct culture that contributes to the richness of Houston’s diversity, yet presents the need for educators and citizens alike to be ready to understand and accept multiple ethnic groups within any one social setting. In any given classroom throughout the city, one is likely to find a mix of students from multiple ethnic and language groups. While it is true that many Latin American students share a common language, the rising percentage of Asian students in the community creates a unique problem of having multiple languages represented under one room. Whereas current ELL programs are historically focused on helping the Spanish speaker, for example, teacher’s are now needed to adding their methodologies to reach all students using the English language as the medium, while developing strategies to assist the multitude of language groups present in the city (Bobadilla, 2013). Three Ethnic Groups and Background Vietnamese Students Consider the many Vietnamese students I know around the Houston area. In order to better understand their particular needs in the classroom, it is helpful to first comprehend the reality of their daily life. Vietnam is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia. In addition, the educational system in the country is considered substandard, when measured up against much of Asia, and indeed the West. So, students from Vietnam are often at a comparative disadvantage to other students on many fronts. First, they are adjusting to a culture that is entirely foreign to them. Whereas Houston has taken on many components of the Latino culture (thereby making Spanish speaking students fell a bit more at home), that luxury does not exist for the Vietnamese in our community. While there are certainly pockets of heavy Vietnamese influence around the city, once a student leaves that comfort zone and goes to another location (such as school), they often feel inferior and afraid. Parents of many Vietnamese do not speak any language and are less likely to learn when compared to other ethnic groups in the area. This is largely due to the tightness of the community in which they live, and the result of their tendency to conduct most of their daily activities and business entirely in the Vietnamese language. This reality, however, does not transfer to their children, who are more likely to be out in the English speaking community struggling to understand what is taking place around them. One student in the area is named Hong. Hong is 13 years old and is a focused student. He is actually quite good in math, but struggles in most other subjects because of his limited language ability. The only assistance he receives at home is in the area of mathematics, primarily because it often bridges any language barrier and his parents are quite good at the subject themselves. Hong struggles in school, not only with language, but also with an ability to fit in. It is difficult for him to identify with other ethnic groups that are second language learners. His teachers struggle to help him because they have little to no knowledge of the Vietnamese language, Hong’s background, or his cultural traditions. This goes for the other students as well. Thankfully, Hong is not bullied in school and other student’s genuinely seem to like him, but this has done little to bolster his self-esteem and help him to do better in school. Finally, Hong’s parents are not involved at school at all. They do not even attend conferences at school because they do not understand the setting, not can they communicate. The school seems to have done little to find a way to reach out to the family and provide them with assistance to help Hong assimilate better. Arabic Students There are several Arab families, all with school-aged students, in the area around me. They have different needs than many other ethnic groups in Houston because of their unique cultural differences. In short, they seem to be completely misunderstood as a people group. While the Arab students I know generally speak better English than other ethnic groups represented in schools around Houston, they are often neglected because of certain cultural differences. Misunderstandings, for example, abound in regards to religion. Many student’s around Houston are fearful of the Islamic religion, largely because society teaches them to be so, and that fear results in a lack of desire to befriend the Arab student population. In addition, the Arab students I know do benefit from family involvement at home. Parents are often educated themselves, speak English, and take a genuine interest in their children’s education. The Arab community in Houston is quite strong and there are quite a few organizations in existence that help them to assimilate better into American society, while still holding onto the culture and religious heritage. Teachers around me express that they are pleased with the level of involvement that they see with the parents of their Arab students, when compared with other ethnic groups represented in their class or those of their colleagues. Finally, we all know that students learn better an environment where they feel respected and wanted. From my experience, Arabic students are not fully accepted by their peers and, to a degree, their teachers and other educational staff. Because of the long-standing war between America and some Islamic countries, this distrust has crept into the educational environment. While the Arabic students around me seem to focus well on their studies, I do not see a high level of participation in various school activities, such as athletics, arts, or social and community clubs. Latino Students in Houston The last ethnic group mentioned in this intercultural communication plan is the Latino student. In some areas of Houston, the Latino student population is the majority. As such, there is certainly no shortage of understanding of the culture, language, and family demographics that teachers should be made aware of in the classroom. While they are perhaps understood of the various ethnic groups represented in Houston, they tend to struggle academically as a whole. This could be related to various factors that should be considered by the classroom teacher. Like the Vietnamese students mentioned earlier, Latino students often come from homes where one or both of the parents do not speak English. With Spanish as the language used in the home, students have rare opportunities to practice English outside of school. Even within the school setting, there are smaller subgroups of Latino peers, such that many students throughout the Houston area simply speak Spanish throughout the school. day. If the teacher does not speak Spanish, it is quite difficult for them to receive academic assistance. Thankfully, many teachers do have a background in Spanish, and they are trained to work effectively with ELL students, but this does not always give them the level of help that they need to be successful. The Latino families I know in my community are a tight knit community. In talking with many of them, they actually feel quite at home in Houston and feel that they are certainly able to keep most components of the Latino (largely Hispanic) culture. In fact, aside from not really adapting to the language, they have assimilated into American life quite well. This is likely due to the reality that Houston has many aspects of the Latino culture, given its proximity to Mexico and other Central American countries. Because of this, the Latino students I know are adjusted relatively well to life in America and the educational system in general. This does not necessarily mean, however, that they are the best students. Unfortunately, Latino students historically perform worse academically than most other ethnic groups in the school system. This is a sad reality that certainly should merit much attention as educational reform movements continue. There is a breakdown in the system somewhere whereby Latino students are either not receiving the academic help that they need, or they are not properly motivated to excel. Whichever is the case, it would certainly benefit society as a whole to look at more positive ways that Latino students can be communicated with on an intercultural level. Community Resources and Social Services Teachers cannot, nor should they be expected to, accomplish the entire task of effective multicultural education on their own. In Houston alone, there are a plethora of community resources and social services to help bridge the gap between ethnic group and educational institutions. The United Way of Houston, for example, has their own center for multicultural education. The agency helps families learn about various educational services available for their children, provides academic assistance, and helps parents to become more involved in their children’s by enabling them to understand how to navigate the American system. In short, the staff at the United Way goes out of their to assist families from all different backgrounds in their efforts to better assimilate into Houston society, while still feeling proud of their own cultural differences. The Houston area also has its own cultural resource directory. Many families of various ethnic groups have difficulty finding social services that fit their unique needs. Houston has worked to solve this issue by providing a directory that families can go to online to solicit the assistance they need. There is also the alliance for multicultural community services. This community group helps bring together various segments of society. This is particularly useful for the educator who is trying to brings together multiple classrooms all in the same classroom. They are able to use these agencies and support them in the classroom by encouraging all students and parents to become more actively involved in the classroom (Gorski, 2006). In so doing, they are supporting Houston’s goal of embracing all cultures and respecting all people. The community organizations currently in existence throughout Houston reach most people of all ethnic, cultural, and religious groups. They also seek to help others in the community become more accepting of people that are different than them. The Islamic Center of Houston, for example, has programs designed for non-Muslims to gain more understanding of the Islamic faith and to grow more accepting and tolerant of their belief system. At the same time, the center is a place of refuge and escape for those living in Houston that are Islamic (Halvorsen & Mirel, 2013). They have various cultural events that enable the faithful to maintain this important part of their heritage. Children can attend religious school, separate from their normal school activities, in order to be around young people of their own cultural background and to learn important parts of their faith and traditional belief systems that are not central components of the American educational system as a whole. Helpful Intercultural Communication Strategies for this Community To exhibit successful intercultural communication skills, a teacher must themselves be willing to learn and appreciate all cultures of the world, not simply the ones that are most near to their own. This takes planning. In Houston, one does not need to go far to become versed in multiculturalism. There are few classrooms in the city the are homogenous (Liddicoat, 2009). Instead, the students of today are learning to interact with other ethnic groups on an unprecedented scale. As young people are impressionable, however, it is important that teachers and other school staff demonstrate an ability to communicate inter-culturally and to strive to embrace and reach students from around the world. Such an intercultural communication plan necessitates the implementation of a multicultural communication plan. By teaching students about the various ethnic groups that they are likely to experience in and around the Houston area, the classroom can become a vibrant and fun environment. When an atmosphere of respect is demonstrated in every aspect of the daily operations of the classroom, students will be much more understanding of their classmates when they cannot understand something that is taking place (Lobb, 2012). Part of intercultural communication is being able to effectively explain certain concepts in a such a way that people from other cultural backgrounds can understand and identify with. Conclusion Houston is certainly not alone in its high percentage of ethnic students represented in the classroom. In order to effectively educate these students, and to provide them with the same quality service and teaching that one has come to expect from America’s educational system, it is important the educator embrace certain intercultural communication skills. This begins with a level of multicultural education that is designed to bring together families, the school, and the community to learn from one another and be able to provide assistance as needed (Lowden, 2003). As noted, parents generally want to help their children in school and life, yet ethnic families often feel powerless to get involved on more than a superficial level. Lacking English language skills, and more than basic academic proficiency, adults are often unwilling to become involved in the school. When families are not involved in the educational process, second language students often feel alone and powerless in their own right. If a teacher does not understand them and cannot discover ways to communicate key educational concepts to the ethnic students in their charge, then students will likely continue to remain quiet and powerless to change their resolve. It is important that parents become involved in the process so that they can provide assistance in the home to support the efforts of the school. In addition, one cannot forget the many resources and community support groups available to the ethnic groups residing all over Houston, as mentioned earlier in this paper. These groups are much more likely to speak ethnic languages, understand various cultural differences, and understand how to enable families to feel more confident about their life and studies in America (Albert & Triandis, 1985). In the end, educators should take advantage of these resources as well. Teachers cannot possibly all there is to know about student in the classroom, and the various backgrounds represented therein. They can, however, work to create a classroom environment that encourages the study of other cultures and embraces differences of opinion and ways of life. This will go a long way towards bringing together the community and gaining more active involvement in the educational process. Only when all members of society begin to look past the ethnic background of people and look instead to the individual will true multiculturalism be embraced. While this reality may never be achieved in any society around the world, it is a commonly held belief that social change begins the community school. For this reason, it is important to embrace multiculturalism, make it a central component of the classroom environment, and model to young people the importance of learning about and respecting all people in the world, not just those that look and act like them. 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Evolving ideologies of the intercultural in Australian multicultural and language education policy. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 30 (3), 189-203. Lobb, P. (2012). Making multicultural education personal. Multicultural Perspectives, 14(4), 229-233. Lowden, F. (2003). Straight talk: Growing as multicultural educators. The Journal of Negro Education, 72(2), 242-244. Nieto, S., & Bode, P. (2012). Affirming diversity: The sociopolitical context of multicultural education (6ht ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc./ Allyn & Bacon. Read More