Dodi Davenport, Principal at Lake Magdalene Elementary school, shared her experiences and feelings about multicultural education in the following interview.
How important is multicultural education to the success of a school? I believe it is important in school because it provides children a perspective about life and the world around them that they may not gain in their home life.
In what ways should multicultural education be incorporated into a school’s curriculum? The easiest way to incorporate it is through the choice of literacy materials in the classroom. Students can also take part in individual/group/class research projects based on topics related to different cultures.
What is the role of the teacher in multicultural education? The same as it is with everything we want students to learn about—they are the guide and portal to the information.
What is the role of the school and the school board in multicultural education? To foster an expectation that topics that provide this perspective are integrated into classroom learning on a daily basis.
Does your school conduct programs or lessons which teach multicultural awareness and appreciation to students? Yes. Teachers integrate materials into their literacy activities, character education lessons, etc. on a regular basis.
Are teachers at Lake Magdalene encouraged to attend trainings on issues of diversity and multicultural education? All teachers in this district are required to take a course on diversity as part of the program for new teachers. In addition, 300 hours are required for Language Arts teachers.
Have you had to deal with any issues related to diversity at Lake Magdalene? If so, do you feel that incorporating multicultural education into the school curriculum more fully would help with those issues? We have not had any issues at Lake Magdalene.
You were the Assistant Principal at Roland Park, how do Roland Park and Lake Magdalene compare in regards to the schools’ general atmosphere of tolerance for diversity? I think that Roland Park had a much more diverse population, so the students saw the differences in culture, etc. more regularly through their friends in addition to what was offered in class and school-wide.
What is your vision for the future of Lake Magdalene? As large as our population is (885 students and 100 staff members), we are a family. My goal is that every decision we make is based on what will benefit our students the most, regardless of the resources it requires (time, energy, financial, etc.). All families have conflicts, but we will communicate with each other, support each other, and do WHATEVER it takes to give our students the best.
Is there anything about multicultural education that you would like to add (thoughts, feelings)? Only that it is most effective when it’s truly integrated into a curriculum. When we make it seem like something “out of the ordinary” or special (ie. Only discussing the contributions of African Americans during the month of February), it calls attention to it in the wrong way, as if it’s something that we are focusing on “because we have to.”
How important is multicultural education to the success of a school? I believe it is important in school because it provides children a perspective about life and the world around them that they may not gain in their home life.
In what ways should multicultural education be incorporated into a school’s curriculum? The easiest way to incorporate it is through the choice of literacy materials in the classroom. Students can also take part in individual/group/class research projects based on topics related to different cultures.
What is the role of the teacher in multicultural education? The same as it is with everything we want students to learn about—they are the guide and portal to the information.
What is the role of the school and the school board in multicultural education? To foster an expectation that topics that provide this perspective are integrated into classroom learning on a daily basis.
Does your school conduct programs or lessons which teach multicultural awareness and appreciation to students? Yes. Teachers integrate materials into their literacy activities, character education lessons, etc. on a regular basis.
Are teachers at Lake Magdalene encouraged to attend trainings on issues of diversity and multicultural education? All teachers in this district are required to take a course on diversity as part of the program for new teachers. In addition, 300 hours are required for Language Arts teachers.
Have you had to deal with any issues related to diversity at Lake Magdalene? If so, do you feel that incorporating multicultural education into the school curriculum more fully would help with those issues? We have not had any issues at Lake Magdalene.
You were the Assistant Principal at Roland Park, how do Roland Park and Lake Magdalene compare in regards to the schools’ general atmosphere of tolerance for diversity? I think that Roland Park had a much more diverse population, so the students saw the differences in culture, etc. more regularly through their friends in addition to what was offered in class and school-wide.
What is your vision for the future of Lake Magdalene? As large as our population is (885 students and 100 staff members), we are a family. My goal is that every decision we make is based on what will benefit our students the most, regardless of the resources it requires (time, energy, financial, etc.). All families have conflicts, but we will communicate with each other, support each other, and do WHATEVER it takes to give our students the best.
Is there anything about multicultural education that you would like to add (thoughts, feelings)? Only that it is most effective when it’s truly integrated into a curriculum. When we make it seem like something “out of the ordinary” or special (ie. Only discussing the contributions of African Americans during the month of February), it calls attention to it in the wrong way, as if it’s something that we are focusing on “because we have to.”
