Blog # 5

Teachers : Cost of Living Matters More

The chart on elementary teacher pay was very interesting. Beaumont, TX and Memphis, TN were the 2 cities that had raised their adjusted salary. The three other cities should have a much higher cost of living, so it really doesn't make sense why these teachers are paid so little. The article maes a very valid point in stating that by knowing what the teacher's dollar will buy locally is much more effective than knowing just the dollar amount. For example, the cost of living in Memphis is 11% below the national average, yet Memphis teachers are receiving 5,800 dollars more than the average annual salary. This doesn't really make sense.

My Own Thoughts and Opinions

Growing up I always heard people talk about the fact that teachers do not get paid well at all. As a High School student considering my college path, I was discouraged by this fact. I never understood (and still don't) why teachers didn't make tons of money. Everyone knows that teacher's play a crucial role in pretty much everyone's life. Without teachers, we could possibly be an illeterate, uneducated country. Yet, our athletes are the major bread winners of this country. Yes, they do have the opportunity to become great role models for today's youth, but I believe a teacher's role is much more important.

After reading this article, I realized that teachers should receive pay based on their cost of living (along with other factors, of course). This crucial factor shold be considered in salary. In my teaching experiences abroad, I remember having to consider my cost of living when I took a job. I was paid well when teaching in Tokyo, considering the cost of living. However, when I heard my salary for teaching in Mexico, I thought it sounded way too low. Once I researched the cost of living, it made sense . This is such an obvious thing, and I think the US should be on the same boat.

Multiculturalism in the Curriculum

As a young child in elementary school, I never thought about multiculturalism. I can remember learning about different countries and cultures across the world, but it was never something I thought about as a young learner. This article by Adam Waxler makes me reevaluate my past classroom curriculum. I completely agree with the views of Waxler in his article Multiculturalism in School Curriculum. All cultures must be included when teaching history, but like he says, it must do so in a way that does not require segregation. I agree with his point about not separating months for different cultures. This is more like segregation and sends the wrong message to learners of all ages. In my opinion, when a teacher incorporates everything into the curriculum, it is more like "real life". We shouldn't only respect and understand the history of African Americans once a month. We should do this on a daily basis. Life is not separated like that. I like all of Waxler's examples of each unit where he finds a way to incorporate diversity into the units.

"New Civil Rights Movement"

I feel like I am always hearing something on the news about the latest with the immigration laws. I am always skeptical of these laws because I personally feel like our laws are too strict on immigration. In blog number 3, we examined the views of certain groups that were worried about "losing all the whites" in this country. As I have stated before, I believe that the US is the melting pot and should continue to be known as such. Niko Kyriakou discusses the nationwide protests that mark the rise of a new American civil rights movement. The difference seems to be that now the US in not concerned with only one minority group, like the mid 1900's civil rights struggle, but now all minorities are involved. The US is expanding culturally everyday. I agree with Niko when she states that this issue is more than just about the immigrants. These issues concern all under-privileged people in the United States.



While I was teaching English in Mexico, I had many students complain about how difficult it was to get visa to the United States. They said it was really expensive and very complicated to receive a visa to do simple things such as shopping or visiting family on the other side of the border. I had no idea things like this took place. It made me ashamed of my country, because I felt like we were being "snobbish" to other countries. I also thought it was interesting when Kyriakou discusses the issue with immigrants needing to pay their back taxes, learn English, and follow a number of requirements. While living and teaching English in three countries abroad, I was never forced to learn their language. I was also never discriminated against due to my lack of fluency in the language of the country. I know it can be frustrating when people living in the US do not speak English, but if we all decided to move to another country, would we be discriminated against for not learning their language?



The Two Different Views



After reading this article about the two different types of multiculturalism in elementary school, I decided I was more on the side of the "cosmos". The view of the cosmos is more along the lines of "we are a world". Since I have traveled to other countries, I have had the mind set that we are all one. We have different opinions and views on life, but we are all human beings. Like the article says, ethnicity may be an important defining part of an individual's identity, but it doesn't mean there aren't any other determinants. Again, ethnicity is important, but it's not what completely defines a person.The "ethnos" view is that a person loses identity when accommodating to a larger cosmopolitan culture . I do not agree with this view because I think it is totally possible to appreciate other cultures while not losing your own identity. I hope that the current generation and the upcoming generation will realize that in order to receive respect for one's own ethnicity, the person must also give respect to others.



I have never had an issue with diversity in the classroom while teaching ESL. There was an extremely diverse group of students in my classroom. The material that was used at the school also promoted diverse learning. The reading materials included stories about different cultures and actually taught diversity while promoting reading. The students wanted to learn more about American culture, so we would often discuss different traditions and trends, but we would always compare them to the traditions and trends in their home country as well. This would always seem to spark interesting conversation.

It is the year 2010, and I think it's about time we all do our best to accept everyone regardless of race, ethnicity, or gender.