#3 Nationalism & Multiculturalism

When I look at where our country once was and where we are today considering diversity, I am somewhat surprised that there are citizens that would prefer a Pacific Northwest for whites like the one described in Pithissippi Burning. However, I think the fact that our citizens elected a multiracial President speaks volumes for the progress we have made.

When I look at history and what I was taught in school I realize how clueless I was. I like the fact Houghton Mifflin has an inclusive history book. I agree that the voyage does not make children Americans but I do think they should know what makes our country unique and attractive to people from all over the world.

Lastly, is multiculturalism wrong? I think it is wrong if the wrong people make the decisions and they are making them to be politically correct. Assumptions should not be made about a groups language, race, religion, or any part of their culture. We should learn about cultures from people from those cultures. We need to learn a lesson from the Netherlands on what not to do. I am greatful that I work for a Principal that develped our motto, "our diversity is our strength" because of the multi cultures in our school. We do not want to make assumptions on their race, language, religion, beliefs, etc. This year we developed another area of our Student Government, the United Nations. Students applied and we tried to have one or two students from our 42 countries that are represented in our school. These are students that at one time stayed in the background because they felt like foriegners, they are now leaders. I have learned so much about other countries from our students. I hope the other students in my school have received the education that I have without going to a class.