Duane A. Sleath

Journal #1

Deborah Dietrich, Kathleen S. Ralph, "Crossing Borders: Multicultural Literature in the Classroom," The Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students, V. 15, Winter 1995.

In the article, "Crossing Borders: Multicultural Literature in the Classroom," Deborah Dietrich and Kathleen Ralph state that teachers need to incorporate multicultural literature into their curriculum. Dietrich and Ralph contend that using a wider variety of cultural backgrounds helps students identify with others of differing environments. By focusing on the plot of the stories more than their literary structure the teachers can help bridge cultural gaps. Students and teachers discuss the events in these books, and relay their emotional responses through discussing their own experiences. Studies of these foreign cultures both present in the United States and from around the world forces the students to look at their own culture from a different point of view. Dietrich and Ralph also propose a system in which the teacher starts by teaching some of the history and culture intrinsic to the story. Through a carefully balanced study of the character's culture allows a student to fully experience the foreign culture, while at the same time not interfering with his ability to judge for himself.

The use of multicultural literature to break down prejudice and misunderstanding between people of different backgrounds goes hand in hand with what Delpit discusses in her book, Other Peopleís Children. Delpit states that teachers need to learn about the culture of their students and embrace that culture in their teachings. Dietrich and Ralph have the same goal in mind. The use of multicultural literature teaches not only the students, but the teacher as well. By reading and discussing books about the differences in cultures, the topic of racism and its implications are bound to come up. When taught along with a history of the different cultures, the barriers of ignorance are bound to come down.