With each passing day, classrooms are becoming more and more diverse with people coming from different backgrounds. Factors such as race, religion, social, cultural, and economic differences often make the school environment an open space for discrimination. The more diversified the classrooms are the possibilities relating to cultural differences are prone to encounter. Multicultural counseling plays a vital role in monitoring negative behavior and empowering cultural sensitivity.
What Happens When We Bring Multicultural Counseling In The School?
- Cultivates healthy interpersonal relationships within the school
- Eliminates discrimination against stereotypes, prejudice, and rigid beliefs
- Brings cultural equality to the school environment
- Strategic approach in promoting multiculturalism can prevent bullying
- Encourages empathy adds respectful value to the inclusive classroom
How Teachers Can Promote Mindful Multiculturalism In The Classroom?
Learning About Students Background
An inclusive classroom can only be formed when each student is seen and nurtured irrespective of their backgrounds – culturally, economically, and socially. The role of teachers begins from the basic to know the learning style and personality traits of each student. It allows students to feel comfortable with who they are. They spend a significant amount of time with friends and peers.
Learning can happen better the environment is predictable and structured. Holding a safe space for students and being sensitive towards each case is essential too. A teacher's conscious choice to make the necessary effort can even lead to inspire the rest of the class.
Involving Topics Related to Cultures and Customs
Awareness is the key to embrace differences. It brings better understanding within individuals about another person. Including topics on cultures and customs will emphasize exposer for students. Projects or activities related to the culture each student brings to the class, they can do write up in form of essay, make group presentation or do paired project where students can choose themes, activity topics related to the cultural food or heritage.
The possibility of turning cultural learning into classroom learning is endless. The room for connection and sensitivity can only occur when there is a healthy exposer to the cultural difference that each student brings to the school.
Call For Intervention
Supporting diversity in the classroom does not only signify encouragement of awareness. One of the biggest barriers to embrace multiculturalism is people’s resistance to change. To bring wholeness in embracing multiculturalism. teachers need to be thoughtful enough to talk about the uncomfortable situation.
Rather than avoiding and unseeing take appropriate measures. Opening up discussions whenever necessary. Also, knowing when to address the issue seriously and taking it on to the higher authority or expert (school counselor) of the school.
The Role Of A School Counselor In Multicultural Counseling
- Build self-awareness must be the first step. A counselor can increase cultural awareness about the school diversity when he/she is competent in dealing with issues. Therefore, knowing the history and personal stories and owning good interpersonal skills is basic.
- Encourage inclusivity through events by inviting guests and motivational speakers. A school with multicultural students can promote diversity when there are enough resources to navigate through. The role of the school counselor would be to take active charge in providing motivation through speakers with real-life experience.
- Conduct awareness seminars for teachers and parents to facilitate open talk. Not to mention, effective counseling is not limited to monitoring students only, it is equally essential to take any matter of discrimination made by either teachers, staff, and parents to the authority and to have an open discussion to bring real change in the overall school environment.
A counselor's role here is to identify the prevailing issues, take appropriate measures and accommodate the perspective of each individual –the way they view the world and their experience that forms their understanding.
Despite challenges, multiculturalism approach needs to be practiced actively, even if it requires implementing certain policies and reformative measures to protect the school environment.
Conclusion
Including multicultural counseling as part of the school, counseling welcomes wholeness to the school. When students learn to respect differences among each other they can adopt a healthier approach in embracing the diverse culture and become a better human beings when they grow up. Our aim as educators must be to enrich students in all aspects of their lives. Promoting multiculturalism not only strengthens inclusivity but also allows us to build a progressive future generation.
Written By : Soma
