Democracy and Inequality: Challenges and Possible Solutions

Introduction

“Our ultimate goal in learning about anything is to try to create and develop a more just society.”- Yuri Kochiyama, Human Rights Activist¹

The above quote summarizes very well my motivation for creating the following unit. In large part, it encapsulates what our learning objectives should be for all instruction that takes place in the current political and social climate. Due to recent events in the United States, the public sphere has been increasingly inundated with the concepts of systemic racism and social injustice. Moreover, many school districts, including my own, are pivoting to an “Equity Creation”² mindset, which includes extensive training for staff on establishing and maintaining equity and equality in the public school system, as well as guidance on having productive conversations about race within the district and greater community.

Calvin R. McCullough Middle School is one of Colonial School District three intermediate schools, serving students in grades 6-12. McCullough,³ in addition to being Colonial’s STEAM magnet school, is also home to a newcomer program for English Language Learners. The Colonial Middle School Newcomer Program (CMSNP) is the only program of its type in the state of Delaware. Students in the Newcomer Program are transported from all three feeder schools in the district based on their language proficiency and parental approval.

Once enrolled, students are immersed in multi-grade level classrooms with other newcomer students where they are provided instruction focused on both language and content acquisition.  Students spend half of their core instructional time on math and science, and half on English and social studies with myself. They attend lunch and elective classes with mainstream students.

As an ESL teacher, I am well aware that my students have an uphill battle ahead of them when it comes to acquiring language and literacy skills in English. Although my instruction addresses the academic and linguistic gaps that exist, the reality is that these students also come to me having very little understanding of the majority versus minority dynamics that impact the United States politically, economically, and socially. For this reason, I have chosen to focus my work on the creation of a social studies curriculum unit that allows newcomer English Learners to discuss how minority groups are portrayed in our media and historical texts, with a specific focus on the history and challenges of Asian Americans as a minority group.