I believe teachers should “breathe the heritage of their students” into their classroom curriculum.(Delpit) It is essential that student’s feel that their cultural differences are appreciated and acknowledged in the classroom. A teacher should work to create an environment in which cultures are respected and are an integral part of day-to-day activities and lessons in the classroom. They should avoid a ‘cultural tourism’ atmosphere in which cultural traditions are only briefly touched on through holiday celebrations or food tasting, etc… Instead, it is vital that multiculturalism is an inherent part of classroom structure; celebrating and learning about diversity should be part of every activity and an essential part of the classroom environment, not something that is ‘added in’ from time to time. In this way, students will feel appreciated, as they are able to learn about their own heritage while they are exposed to other cultures and experiences. In order to make this classroom community a reality, it is a teacher’s duty to educate themselves about different cultures and the places their students and their families come from.

I believe that children and teachers should acknowledge each other’s differences and be encouraged to celebrate diversity in the classroom. Every child should feel proud of who they are and know that they have something special to contribute to the class community. Teachers should not make the mistake of feigning ‘color-blindness’ and refusing to acknowledge the racial and cultural differences of their students. Instead, it is vital that the classroom is used as a safe space for children to explore these differences and learn about themselves as well as each other. It is the responsibility of the teacher to create an anti-biased learning atmosphere where children are free to be themselves without being hindered academically or fearing social isolation based on their differences. When this environment is successfully established, children are able to reach their full academic potential, no matter their racial and ethnic background.

I believe that educators should “view African-American [and other parents of color] as a resource and not as a problem.”(Delpit) It is a teacher’s job to learn as much as they can about their students and where they come from. A teacher must learn about the community that their school is in and be willing to respect cultural differences that may exist in their way of thinking about education. The parents of students should be respected and looked to as important sources of information about their children and how they learn best. By ignoring where children come from and how they view the world, a teacher is denying them the best education possible. Teachers should acknowledge differences and work to identify and correct their own biases that could present obstacles in their student’s education. In addition to learning from parents of minority students, a teacher must also work to educate themselves in other ways. They should get out into the school’s community and observe where their students come from and ask questions from people who understand and have experienced things firsthand. They should study different cultures and learn about the heritage of their students so they can incorporate this knowledge into the classroom.