Multiculturalism in the Classroom

Over the years many immigrants legal or not have been protesting the laws or acts that have been brought upon them. There have been many supporters and many against them but the rallies have continued. This has been a concern for many regardless of which side they are supporting. I believe it has gotten even more extreme with the most recent protests and laws that have been waiting to be passed to control the expansion of more immigrants. It is an issue for every Amercican citizen that should be viewed by both sides. I hope that eventually there will be some kind of "reform" that will have both sides satisfied for the sanity of all.
This leads to my thoughts on how diverse my classes have gotten based on my beginning experience in teaching and in the locations I have taught. Diverse is the perfect definition for the school I am currently expanding my teaching experience. The school and district have a wide diverse population. I believe that the district and school do their best to accommadate, understand, and respect all the diverse cultures. In my classroom I have worked with students in learning about other cultures and sharing their own. As a school we work on having cultural fairs and learning about the cultures that make up our school. One of the poilicies and basic rules the school and classrooms have is that we shall respect one another including culture.
A lot of time students don't understand other students and why they do certain things, or have a different religion or belief, or even why they dress a certain way due to culture. If school is there only exposure and their only way to clearly understand other cultures then the school and educators have the resonsibility to expand the knowledge. This not only lets the students find similarities in other cultures but it builds the respect for other cultures as well.
Just like cosmopolis and ethnic loyalists beliefs, my school shows a little of both. While there is a cosmopolis atmosphere in the school in which we are a community (nation) and we all belong to it. But the school also believes in the individual ethnicity that creates the cosmopolis atmosphere. It is almost like one cannot be without the other. I believe this makes our school unique and brings a positive setting for all.
Teaching in this kind of diverse setting has not only expanded my knowledge on multiculturalism but it has also opened my mind to how students can come together and learn to respect each other. A lot of times culture can become a barrier for learning, teaching, and even speaking, but when we learn to view everyone equally more can be accomplished.