I think, first and foremost, you want to bring and accept students’ cultures/traditions into the classroom environment. By creating an open/accepting classroom culture, students will have a sense of safety/security to feel comfortable expressing themselves in whatever they see fit. That classroom door should always be open to new ideas and events that can incorporate multilingual students within the classroom. When any educator closes that classroom door, students’ ideas and values diminish as the classroom climate feels lost and closeminded. However, as a future educator, I will ensure that my classroom door is always open as we create a welcoming environment for any student who may walk through the door.
I would first like to hang flags from countries other than Canada, where students are from. We always have a Canadian flag and maybe a Saskatchewan flag within our classrooms, but what about those students who aren’t from Canada or Saskatchewan? We should be able to hang any flags within our classroom because it shows that we just don’t care about Canadian students but all students from across the world.
I think secondly, I would want to sing every student countries national song that’s in our classroom. I know that most songs sing O Canada, and the odd one may incorporate a treaty acknowledgment but then again, students who are not from Canada and not an Indigenous decent may feel left out of the classroom. This idea might be a stretch so we might just sing the songs every Monday or so just to make sure we have enough time to complete our school work for the day.
Lastly, having books that are not just from Canada but from authors and places across the world. That a “school library collections have multilingual books for both students and parents to read at school and at home. School policies can ensure that libraries maintain a diverse and well-stocked selection” (Cummins, 2019). I just remember back in my schooling days, we had all our books in English and feature a majority of white people within the books and I was fine with that back then not knowing what I know now. Students will feel a sense of belonging if they are able to read books in their own language or authors from their own countries. Not just Canadian authors and English books, but global books in a variety of different languages will help maximize engagement among multilingual students within the classroom.
Cummins, J. (2019, February 21). How Can Teachers Maximize Engagement among Multilingual Students? EdCan Network. How Can Teachers Maximize Engagement among Multilingual Students? | EdCan Network
Hi Michael,
I think it is important to create a safe and welcoming place within your classroom, but I also think it is important to remember that there will be situations that you will not be equipped to deal with and it is okay to ask for help when it is needed. We as educators need to remember that although we are working towards a change that it is important to ask for help when its needed.
Hey MIchael,.
I really enjoyed your blog post. A quote that I found interesting includes the following “ I think, first and foremost, you want to bring and accept students’ cultures/traditions into the classroom environment.” I found it intriguing because I also agree with the fact that it is significant to include all voices within the classroom no matter their physical appearance, age, gender, religion, or cultural beliefs.
Hi Michael,
I absolutely love your ideas of ways to incorporate different nationalities into the classroom, I also think that it is just generally so cool to learn about, even if there is not someone in your classroom from a certain country. Do you think that there could be toes stepped on in any way by singing anthems and hanging flags? I feel as though families may have personal opinions in that regard. Thank you for sharing, and I absolutely loved your ideas.