2/18/20; Week 7: Response to Cross-Cultural Students in the Classroom


Have you ever been on the “It’s a Small World” ride at Disneyland? It has been one of my favorite rides for over 35 years. I love the vivid colors, happy faces, diverse costumes, variety of languages, different styles of dancing, and unique cultures the ride showcases.

What a rich, stimulating world we live in. It is not uncommon for our classrooms to be filled with many different cultures from around the world today. While this can be a powerful learning experience and opportunity, it can also present some challenges as we blend different cultural paradigms in one room. Some of us are loud; some of us are quiet. Some of us are individualistic; some of us are collectivistic. Some of us are expressive; some of us are inexpressive. Some of us have internal attributions; some of us have external attributions. Some of us have a big bubble; some of us have a very small bubble. Okay, I think you get the picture. How do we deal with all these beautiful differences in one room?

First, here’s a story…

When I was a teenager, we hosted many exchange students in our home. It was one of my favorite memories. A good number of our exchange students were from Japan. My Japanese sisters were much less expressive than I was, and to put this into a clearer perspective, I wasn’t as expressive as some of my friends. I would describe my Japanese sisters as shy, reserved, and quiet. After one of them had been at my house for a week, she declared that she wanted to be more like “American girls.” She got a big smile on her face and with a forced loud voice, she exclaimed, “Like crazy!” trying to imitate her version of America girls. It was the cutest thing ever. Back then, most of the Japanese girls didn’t wear fingernail polish. My Japanese sister asked me to paint her nails. She enjoyed trying some of the “American girl” cultural things with me during her visit.

Here’s my idea, why not have a classroom activity asking the students to write a list of characteristics they admire in some of their classmates and their cultures? Have them put their lists in a basket. Gather everyone in a circle and talk about some of the things they admire and like about each other and their cultures. Maybe even have everyone try something different. If one student admires how another student talks in a softer voice, have them try it. Putting ourselves in others’ shoes is a great way to promote understanding. It's a small world full of many cultures. Let's embrace them!

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