by Jake Hollingsworth // Seoul, South Korea // www.JakeHollingsworth.net
No.5 By celebrating their culture, you teach them to value other’s differences.
Sooner or later, it’s bound to happen. It just comes with the territory.
As ESL teachers, it is implicit that we work with people of various countries and cultures. Many times, even in a single classroom, we will be blessed with a parade of nations from every corner of the globe.
I have had the privilege of teaching students from Venezuela, India, Mexico, Brazil, France, Thailand, Jordan, Guatemala, South Korea, and Germany. Every one of these students was starkly different, and yet exactly the same. They were different in the fact that they brought to the table different ideas about life. Their diets were different. Their ways of showing respect were different. Their concepts of dating, marriage, and family were different. It was absolutely wonderful.
But, sooner or later, it’s bound to happen. It just comes with the territory. Occasionally, for no sensible reason at all, people decide they do not like other people simply because of their nationality or cultural tendencies. I’ve seen it first hand.
“People from [insert random country name] smell bad.”
“People from [insert random country name] look funny.”
“People from [insert random country name] eat strange things.”
So what’s an ESL teacher to do? The answer is quite simple. The answer starts with us. When we celebrate the culture of our students, we teach them to value the differences of the many others they will come in contact with. By teaching them English, we are opening up their world. We are giving them a tool to move beyond their own native borders and into new lands. We are preparing them to go abroad. We are setting them on a collision course with the world.
We’re pushing them out the door. We’re responsible for them.
What about you? How are you teaching your students to celebrate multicultural diversity?
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A few ideas to celebrate our students and their cultures…
1) Take time to learn a bit of their language. They’ll be impressed.
2) Celebrate their holidays.
3) Make up your mind to develop a taste for the local cuisine.
