Good Morning! Would you like to send your children to a multicultural school? or an Uni-cultural? Why?Why not?
916810
Multicultural school?\n\nI would just prefer one that didn't discriminate as opposed to a certain school in Minnesota that had to ship black people from New York to fill quotas like my college roommate did.\n\nI went to a school with people of all religions/cultural backgrounds and from many countries.  I enjoyed it.   I would want that for my children.
918790
LOL. Ah! Sensationalism and Prejudice!\n\nIt's really sad in a way. So many are like that.\nI am from two very different cultures, and was raised to look at the indvidual, and not the label.\nI taught my sons the same values.\n\nI was Blessed with Beautiful Parents.
533536
When I taught a geography class last fall, I showed the documentary "The Virgin Diaries" to my students. Paid out of pocket for the rental fee, too. Whew!\n\nMy intent was that my students would have some sense of Muslims as real people (we live on a very small island). What they got out of it was how difficult it is for Muslim women.
484231
Okay, as far as each group being able to have its own board members, okay.\n\nIt's better than bussing children miles away to school, when there is one down the block from them.\n\nIt would be a good idea if there is a lot of racially motivated fights in a particular school.\n\nBUT--isn't this taking a step backward?  Isn't it telling our children that they are all "different," instead of instilling the information that "we are all the same?"\n\nCould it make racial relations in the future even worse?\n\nThere's a lot to think about here.  The most important being our children and our world.
746116
There are people from Zimbabwe whom I'd be happy to help or have as neighbors.  Kirsty Coventry, for example.  But I would rather that MOST of them stay out of Australia.  Look at you: you can't spell "school" correctly, or punctuate sentences properly, or capitalize the names of months or the first person pronoun in the nominative case.  And you want to attend an Aussie university? Ha! Go home!
871573
No mate... you're not..\n\nI live in a large city with a very high ethnic/immigrant population. I have grown up with people from all cultures and am pleased that my children don't recognise racial and religious differences. I am now way racist and shirk from saying anything because of the fear of being branded as such...\n\nBut...... enough is enough...\n\nI work in a small town where the majority of people are racist and I hate their attitudes... but you can see the popularity of what they say growing...\n\nI have concerns for the future.. I worry that it will be ok in the future to be openly racist and aggressive to minorities, as was acceptable in Nazi Germany...\n\nAll of our politicians, irrespective of political persussion must do something soon to stop the "immigration" issue becoming a negative issue upon which bigots can campaign and stand. It's a worry... but equally worrying is the fact that we really are being swamped.\n\nI recently completed a canvass for the local Council by completing their electoral registers in a few wards. Iwas shocked at the number of nationalities represented: Poles, Czechs, Russians, Italians, French, Germans, Gambians, Ghanaians, Phillpinos, Burmese, Jamaican, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Croatian, Indian, Chinese, Danish, Potugeese and Hungarian.\n\nIt came as a shock to find so many confined in such a small area. It was like a ghetto...\n\nReally... it's time to act with sense and decency before more radical steps have to be taken.
131681
yeah,the education system of your community's got to go for a total revemp...judging by your english :)
1075756
Try these websites:\n\nhttp://www.everythingpreschool.com/themes/multicultural/index.htm\nhttp://www.preschoolrainbow.org/multicultural.htm\nhttp://www.first-school.ws/theme/places.htm\n\nThis one isn't free but it has a lot of good resources if you are willing to spend some money.\nhttp://www.multiculturalkids.com/shop/customer/home.php
135986
I believe all should be done.  We are in a bilingual community, and I work with children, one of which is in Kindergarten right now.  They are taught to read in english in kindergarten, and to write so that they get the basics in their own language.  They are taught how to interact with each other, respect each other, share, and so on, and are still given lots of time to play.  Children are such sponges at this age for information, that I think it's great when they can be taught as much as they can.  In grade one they can take on French only classes for the rest of their school years {except for one English class a day}.  During this time they do all their classes in French, which is our second language, and learn all their subjects in French.  No English is allowed to be taught in the classrooms after the first few months of grade one.  By the time they graduate, even slow learners are bilingual.  Most are able to speak the language quite frequently by grad 6 or 8, but are completely bilingual by graduation.  I hope this helps.
1079910
I am experiencing this from an opposing side, if you will. We live in Egypt and my children attend Egyptian schools. I do speak Arabic and I am educated in Arabic language and grammar, however, with subjects like Social Studies and History and Science, I am learning right along with my kids. (I know American History and Social Studies and I have to re-learn a whole new list of vocabulary for the sciences I studied in English.) It really is NOT easy at all for foreign parents to help their children with their homework in a second language. However, it is vital that the parents participate and learn as much as they can of the foreign language. Even if this means being only one lesson ahead of your child. As to the school district providing necessary outlets, most school districts in the U.S. will provide assistance to these parents IF the parents ask for it. I've found the assistance I've needed here and I also found that in Maryland I was given an Arabic interpreter when one of my children was being tested for autism (trying to determine if it was actually a speech developmental delay or just a bilingual issue.) Most school districts will assist if you ask.
483885
I feel that racism is taught. Learning to accept all people should be taught in the home at an early age. People need to realize that this world would be a boring place if we were all the same!
1136052
Well, I'm not familiar with the educational system in Australia, but I  know here in the states, not all private schools are religious in nature. Perhaps you should look for one that is secular in nature.
74732
Having students learn two languages is great, no matter what the second language is - I'm all for it. Hell, if you can get them trilingual, do it.\n\nEvery language that someone can converse in opens the doors to perhaps a job that would have never been possible, or come in handy in a certain situation.\n\nMy sister is quadrilingual, I'm trilingual. One of my proudest moments of hers was when she was when she called Cuba and conversed in Spanish, tracking down my aunt who was vacationing there in order to tell her that her father passed away. If it wasn't for my sister and the Spanish she new, my aunt could have missed the funeral.\n\nOn another note though, the best time to make someone learn a language is when they're young. If the parents know two or more languages, they should speak with their children in all languages. Some folks are concerned the child will be mixed up, but take it from someone raised in more than one language - it worked out just fine.\n\nI am happy to this very day I was raised to be trilingual, allowing me to get buy easy in a lot of places in the world, and being able to talk to people and relatives that I otherwise would have been unable to.
245158
I am a second grade teacher in Corpus Christi, Tx. Sounds like a great idea. Let me know more if you haven't found anyone yet.
100701
We have them in my school. The kids are amazingly responsible...but it's an overseas international school (with kids from over 40 different countries). The rules are totally different over here.
506960
Wow, what a variety of answers.  If this is something you are considering, you really need to make the decision yourself, based on what's important to you.  We chose to homeschool because we were not satisfied with the education my son was getting in the public school.  Since we started homeschooling, he has really excelled in some subjects (math, in particular) and has just been average in others.\n\nAs for socialization and the 'real world', can you name me one other place where people are segregated by age besides school?  The real world is dealing with people of different races, cultures, ages, beliefs - take a look around any office.  My kids are exposed to all these and more and are perfectly able to handle themselves in most any situation.  I have not locked them in a closet!  Our house is usually bursting at the seams on weekends with kids from the neighborhood.\n\nAs for teaching them only my strong subjects, we are fortunate enough to live in a fairly large city and I have sent my older son to a homeschool co-op for Latin (I know nothing about it) and he took private violin lessons.  I'm not big on art (as in painting, sculpture, etc.), so I'm not really introducing these things to my kids, other than through art appreciation.  So what if one of my children is supposed to be the next Rembrandt.  Maybe the next Rembrandt is sitting in an African village somewhere starving to death?  If it's not something that interests them, why should I force it on them, even if they are gifted in that area?  I'd rather they be average at something they love and enjoy, than famous for something they hate.\n\nSorry if I seem to be ranting here.  I just get tired of hearing the same old arguments from well-meaning, but un-informed people.\n\nIf you choose to homeschool, I wish you the best of luck.  It's certainly not for everyone, but if you decide it's for you, you will NOT regret the choice.
107740
Just show what the country looks like (maybe print out a blank map for the kids to color), show what the flag is (have them color that, too), tell them what language they speak (if it's Spanish or something, teach them a few Spanish words), what kind of food they eat (bring in something for them to try), and teach them about the people (what it's like to live there). Show them books and stuff like that. Maybe even try to find a way to find a preschool teacher in Argentina that will be willing to have his or her class and your class do a pen pal thing. Just google school age penpals or something.