Our class discussion about multicultural education versus intercultural education made me reflect a lot about how my high school handled these two topics. We had a culture fair every year as an opportunity for people to share food and customs from their individual cultures with the larger school community. I wonder now, though, if this fair was unintentionally reductive, as students only learned about a single aspect of a different culture and therefore thought of that culture in a single way. I guess this would have been an exercise in both multicultural and intercultural education, though, as some of the cultures happened within the sphere of our country, and some of the cultures were from outside the U.S. In any case, I now wonder if this culture fair was in lieu of instituting policies around equity, for although attempting to teach and learn about other cultures is wonderful, it does not replace the deeper work of equity that must happen. So one of my biggest takeaways from class on Friday is that I now question how my previous experiences relate to these topics.
I also thought our exercise in reflecting upon when we first notices structural inequities in this country was very powerful. I think this realization happened in middle school for me but was really cemented during high school. I don’t know if there was one formative moment or a collection of smaller experiences that led to this understanding, but now I look back and wonder how I couldn’t have realized this earlier. It’s interesting to question how one gained one’s perspective of the world, as it’s generally something that just happens gradually over time. I’m not sure if it’s possible now, looking back to truly determine what experiences formed this perception for me, but I do know that I am glad I understand the inequalities around me better now so that I am more aware, more able to recognize my own privilege, and more prepared to combat these inequalities.
