RAB Source Entry 1 – Dessire

Research Question –

How does multiculturalism affect the American identity?

Proposal –

My research question is :How does multiculturalism affect the American identity? This topic interests me because I am both Dominican and American. I also find that knowing what it means to be American is hard to define. Another reason why this topic interests me is because there is this presumption of the United States having this American identity while America itself is so diverse. I find this interesting because everyday I ask myself, “What does it truly mean to be American?” I already know that the United States is one of the most diverse countries in the world . I also know that there are numerous people living in the U.S ,who are multi-cultural, that still identify themselves as American. Another thing that I know is since America is multi-cultural, being American isn’t just a singular identity. Some points that I plan to explore and find out more about are what exactly is the American identity and how does that fall into just one identity rather than just saying that it’s a multi-identity. I also want to know how America has reacted to the ongoing spread of multiculturalism . One final thing that I want to explore is how these differences impact the youth.

Part 1 – MLA Citation 

Hannon, Kerry. “Bringing a New Vibe to the Classroom.” The New York Times, 20 Feb. 2020. NYTimes.com, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/education/learning/teachers-classroom-cultural-differences.html.  

Part 2 – Summary 

In the article “Bringing a New Vibe to the Classroom,” Kerry Hannon tells us how schools are working on bringing culture into the classroom to make lessons more relevant toward students. Hannon reflects upon teachers such as Lorena Germán. Germán, an educator at the Headwaters School in Austin, Texas, and author talks about practicing activism to show representation to each culture within her classroom. Additionally, Germán reaches out to other teachers about how connecting with students’ cultures may positively impact the way that they learn. Hannon concludes that teachers are having to reflect on themselves to keep up with the cultural classroom changes.

Part 3 – Reflection 

I agree with Hannon’s point that expressing student’s culture may positively affect the educational system. As part of Generation Z, if teachers talked more about our diverse cultures, I feel as though we would understand school on a deeper level. Each day I see more students from numerous backgrounds at school and I have realized that America is changing. I remember when I was in elementary school and my school only consisted of Black and Hispanics, whereas now there is more diversity being portrayed within the educational system.

Part 4- Rhetorical Analysis 

Hannon is an American author to several books such as “In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in The New World of Work,” “Getting the Job You Want After 50 For Dummies.” Throughout this article Hannon focuses on reaching teachers and the youth primarily. The reason she wants to reach out to teachers is to show how multiculturalism can be a beneficial aspect towards a child’s understanding of education. Hannon chooses to write a feature article to show the thoughts of teachers who have seen for themselves how culture plays a part. She gives a sense of understanding and persuasion to help others see that we need change. Through her research she presents an opposing side to the traditional curriculum standard. Since this article had been published in 2020, it is still relatively current. This means she can show more relevance towards today’s education compared to prior years. This article has been published by a well-established newspaper in New York; “The New York Times.” This publication has actually won the most amount of Pulitzer Prizes than any other media company in U.S. history. This endorses the fact that she is a very credible and reliable source. 

Part 5- Notable Quotables 

“But as the population in the United States becomes more ethnically and racially diverse, re-educating teachers about how to be aware of the cultural differences in their communities has been gaining traction” (Hannon) 

“The change has been gradual. One factor: Teachers are still predominantly white even as the student population grows increasingly diverse, she said. While students of color are expected to make up 56 percent of the nation’s elementary and secondary public schools by 2024, 82 percent of public schoolteachers identify as white, according to a report by the United States Department of Education.” (Hannon) 

“Through all of my K-through-12 education, I never read a text that addressed my racial identity.” (Hannon) 

“The cultural classroom change is happening, but it is far from mainstream. Ms. Ebarvia said that there could be pushback among teachers but that was also encouraged by the growing number of those willing to engage in conversations about how to educate a new diverse generation” (Hannon) 

“My students are really engaged with the content,” Ms. Germán said. “Over and over, they comment on how modern it is. What they are saying is that it’s very relevant to their lives.” (Hannon)