Why I, as a Hispanic American Teen, Think American Students Need More Multicultural Education

Bella Burnett

Growing up in Mobile, Alabama I was able to recognize at an early age that the Hispanic community was not as prominent as it was in places such as Los Angeles or Houston. This reality was further highlighted to me when I was put into a predominately white school at 8 years old. I felt like a fish out of water, a pig with makeup, an elephant in the room- I felt like I did not belong. I was not blonde with blue eyes but instead tan with brown almost black eyes. When I spoke with my lisp, I would pronounce words “in a Hispanic way” (which I did not know was possible but apparently it was). Additionally, I was culturally confused “hell is a bad word...and dang it?” “Kids take the crust off their sandwiches-wouldn't that be wasteful?” Meemaw and Pepaw really threw me off as well; I was used to calling my grandmother “Mamita Yoya,” (this was not considered normal as well). Being the only Hispanic kid in my class often felt like I was a specimen on display.  

“Oh my gosh! Do you speak Mexican?” 

“No.” 

“Are you related to Paddington?”  

“No.” 

“Is Peru in Mexico?” 

“No.” 

Being practically mute did not help my case either; some kids thought I could not speak English because of my lack of speaking at all. 

And when I grew a little older, my peers became more aware of politics; children under the assumption of me being illegal simply because I was Hispanic came as a shock to me. It did not make sense to me (and quite frankly still does not). For instance, I remember a teacher reminding a boy in my class that not all Hispanics are illegal (because he thought I was illegal, and she was assuring him I was not). I was not sure if the teacher knew I could hear her telling the student that, but it felt weird, I was concerned about what other assumptions kids could make about me because I was Hispanic. I knew this kid was not being mean or rude; he was just ignorant. Which I am not saying is evil or terrible of him, he just did not know better. 

This, and other experiences of mine, have made me question whether schools have thought of integrating multicultural education into their curriculum. Would this not be valuable considering America’s diverse population? Introducing a multicultural curriculum to schools will include many benefits: students becoming more empathetic to others considered “unlike them,” more open-mindedness when it comes to hearing unfamiliar ideas/meeting other people and having a far better understanding of the world around them. Moreover, this could prevent prejudices from cultivating later in life. Racism in the United States of America is not as prevalent as it once was, but it is still in existence and needs to be relinquished entirely. This behavior of racism is taught and is not a natural born behavior in children. Fostering within children at an early age the acceptance and appreciation of other cultures is fundamental in the creation of a better society.  

Celebrating cultural differences demonstrates that all children are valued equally and appreciated for what they bring to the classroom. On top of that, it provides the opportunity to expose students to other cultures on a regular basis-positively affecting students' academic and social benefits (cultural competence & increased empathy).