| This project was designed to improve the cultural awareness of students, specifically in Afro American, Caribbean and African history. Artifacts from the Caribbean and Africa were used in lessons not only for cultural awareness, but to help students overcome severe reading disabilities.The results of this project varied. Students were more interested in the writer's own experiences than in the artifacts that were brought back. The approaches to teaching multiculture were often limited by the students' inherent suspicion and hatred of cultures other than their own and by racism. There was also the added difficulty of the very low reading levels of the students. Many were reading five to six grade levels behind the grades to which they were socially promoted. There was constant disruption of the students being able to accomplish the goals of the curriculum because of conflicts with the law and criminal behavior. School attendance was poor, averaging about 50%.Perhaps the greatest difficulty encountered was the students' perception of themselves. They were trained to see cultures as divided in two main classes: black and white, which were opposite to each other. Solutions for such problems will demand training from birth and the cooperation of parents, schools, teachers, and the government. |
