Multicultural Education

One of the things that I really like about Canada is the fact that my son will have the opportunity to study with kids from different cultural backgrounds.

It must be fascinating for a teacher to take part in the education and personal growth of individuals who are so different. Even though they are all going through the same developmental stage, each one's learning porcess must be so dissimilar. The aspect I like the most about teaching is to learn about my students and the very personal touch that they put to a course that is the same in content. I can't imagine how much an Elementary teacher can learn from her or his students and how rich the lessons must be.

I can already imagine the play dates my son will have and all the experiences he will go through as he shares his own inherited culture with his friends. I am sure that will have a huge impact in his education and it will help him become a more sensitive and open individual.

In Mexico we consider ourselves very open to new things and very respectful to other ideologies and customs, however, we are not exposed to a lot of people from different backgrounds and when it comes to actual interaction we just don't have a lot of experience. On the other hand, we are also a culture with a very peculiar sense of humor that mocks everything we can, including (and I am not proud of saying this) other cultures, so in the end, we are not as open and sensitive as we think we are.

So far, my experience in Canada in regards to the people I have met has been great. Two examples of countries that I would have never imagined meeting someone from are Malta and Ethiopia. In these past 4 years I feel like I have learned so much and I have become a lot more culturally aware. It is something that makes me feel proud of and that I want to pass on to my son, I also want him to feel a citizen of the world, not necessarily because I want him to live abroad but because of all the people he will have the chance to meet while living in this beautiful country.