“Globalization is a fact. Every major problem we face – from economic growth to the environment to public health to reducing poverty and inequality to improving national and homeland security will require more international knowledge and cooperation than ever before.
- Knowledge of other countries and an ability to work with people from other cultures is going to be needed by an increasing number of jobs and professions. It's not just limited to the diplomatic corps these days.
- Increased diversity of students and immigration from many parts of the world means schools need to understand more about the cultures of their students.
- If we didn't know it before, September 11 certainly brought home our interconnectedness with other parts of the world and our lack of knowledge, particularly of the Islamic world.
- And this interconnectedness is only going to increase. Our children are growing up in a whole new world --- one in which as workers and as citizens they will be working with people and issues from all parts of the globe in ways that simply weren't true for most of us.
If we are to have a world-class education system, and let's really talk about world-class, our definition of educational excellence must go beyond literacy and numeracy to include knowledge of the history, geography, cultures and languages of other parts of the world.”James B. Hunt, Jr., Former Governor of North Carolina and Co-Chair, National Coalition on Asia and International Studies in the Schools
the lesson plan I taught at school this week during AAP
(Advisor/Advisee Period) focused on topics such as respect, diversity, and tolerance.
When I asked them to share with me their knowledge of cultures other than those
found within our region, I was hardly shocked when an uncomfortable silence
filled the room. I surmised that my kids were either scared to sound unintelligent
in front of their peers by saying the wrong thing or perhaps embarrassed by what
little they knew. In this age of globalization and the increased interconnectivity
that comes along with it, I am saddened that the more accessible the world
becomes to them the more they choose not to explore it. Instead, they choose to
limit themselves to all things and people that are being spoon fed to them by
big media. Although I am disappointed that my kids had no idea about current
events such as those in Syria or about prominent historical figures whose actions
have shaped our way of life, I am hopeful that I will have a breakthrough
with them so that they will want to be more globally educated. It is my mission
for this school year to educate my kids about the things that should matter to them.
"Culture is the whole complex of distinctive spiritual, material, intellectual and emotional features that characterizes a society or a group. It includes creative expressions, community practices and material or built forms."
